THE  LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 
BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 


THE  LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 
BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 


BY 

B.  F.  RILEY,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

Author  of  "  The  White  Man's  Burden  " 


INTRODUCTION  BY 

EDGAR  Y.  MULLINS,  D.D.,  LL.D, 

President  of  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary 

ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK  CHICAGO  TORONTO 

Fleming    H.    Revell    Company 

LONDON       AND        EDINBURGH 


• 


Copyright,  1916,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY, 


.  ?    15$   Fifth    Avenue 

Chicago :  17  *  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
Toronto:  25  Richmond  St.,  W. 
London:  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:  100  Princes  Street 


TO 

All  spirits  of  true  nobleness  who  prize  genuine  worth,  no  matter 
where  found  or  in  whom 


343147 


INTRODUCTION 

ONE  of  the  most  complicated  of  all  social  prob 
lems  during  the  past  two  generations  has  been 
that  of  the  Negro  in  his  social,  economic,  and 
civil  relations  in  the  South.  Some  writers  have  been 
pessimistic  in  their  view  as  to  the  outcome.  We  have 
sometimes  seen  the  view  expressed  in  books  by  strong 
writers  that  there  is  no  solution  of  the  Negro  ques 
tion.  This  reminds  one  of  Mark  Twain's  story.  He 
carried  forward  the  action  of  the  characters  up  to  a 
certain  point,  and  suddenly  dropped  the  task  of  writ 
ing.  He  informed  the  reader  that  the  situation  had 
become  so  complicated  that  he,  the  author  of  the  story, 
was  unable  to  handle  it,  and  that  he  would  have  to 
turn  it  over  to  the  reader  to  develop  the  story  to  the 
climax.  This  was  excellent  humor,  and  it  is  sugges 
tive  of  the  view  some  have  held  regarding  the  Provi 
dence  of  God  in  relation  to  the  Negro.  It  is  as  if 
God  had  permitted  a  situation  to  develop  which  he 
himself  could  not  handle  successfully.  The  writer 
does  not  in  any  degree  share  the  pessimistic  view  that 
the  Negro  question  is  insoluble. 

The  late  Booker  T.  Washington  was  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  characters  of  his  generation.  He  is, 
indeed,  the  outstanding  Negro  of  modern  times.  He 
belonged  to  the  last  generation  of  slaves,  and  served 

7 


8  INTRODUCTION 

the  admirable  purpose  of  showing  the  capacity  of  the 
Negro  for  progress.  His  career  was  an  inspiration 
to  every  Negro  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  He 
was  born  before  the  war  between  the  States,  and  was 
too  young  to  appreciate  the  nature  of  that  titanic  strug 
gle,  but  he  grew  to  boyhood  and  young  manhood  dur 
ing  that  critical  period  following  the  war  known  as 
the  reconstruction  period  in  the  South. 

Dr.  B.  F.  Riley  has  told  the  story  of  Washington's 
life  in  the  pages  which  follow  in  a  remarkably  inter 
esting  and  effective  way.  He  has  traced  the  career  of 
the  great  Negro  from  his  childhood  through  to  the  end 
of  his  life.  He  has  painted  him  as  the  ambitious, 
struggling,  honest,  earnest,  faithful  devotee  of  a  great 
ideal  for  his  race. 

Dr.  Riley  has  brought  into  prominence  the  charac 
teristic  features  of  Washington.  Among  these  may 
be  named  the  following:  First,  his  thorough  honesty. 
He  was  burdened  with  a  sixteen  dollar  debt  at  the  end 
of  a  vacation  when  he  was  attending  school  at  Hamp 
ton.  He  was  restless  and  miserable  until  the  debt  was 
paid.  So,  throughout  his  career  he  was  characterized 
by  a  splendid  conscientiousness. 

Again,  Washington  was  remarkably  sane  and  bal 
anced  in  his  views  as  to  the  place  and  future  of  the 
Negro.  He  cherished  no  illusions  as  to  social  equality 
between  the  Negroes  and  the  white  people  of  the 
South.  Indeed,  the  subject  of  social  equality  did  not 
interest  him.  There  were  other  matters  of  far  greater 
moment.  Washington  felt  that  economic  independ 
ence  was  the  great  need  of  the  Negro.  He  was  thor- 


INTRODUCTION  9 

oughly  convinced  that  if  the  Negro  could  achieve  this, 
his  destiny  would  take  care  of  itself  in  other  matters. 

Another  trait  in  Booker  Washington's  character 
was  his  strong  desire  to  unite  the  best  sentiment  among 
the  whites  and  the  blacks.  He  appealed  to  the  best 
element  among  Southern  white  people  and  to  the  best 
element  among  the  Negroes,  and  it  is  remarkable  how 
well  he  commanded  the  respect  of  all.  He  was  thor 
oughly  loyal  to  the  Negro  and  genuinely  tactful  in 
dealing  with  the  white  people  of  both  North  and  South. 
He  was  at  home  on  any  platform,  North  or  South. 
He  was  never  known  to  fan  into  intensity  Northern 
prejudice  against  Southern  views,  and  he  was  always 
self-respecting  in  his  attitude  towards  Southern  white 
people.  But  he  understood  the  Negro  and  he  under 
stood  the  whites,  and  he  was  unusual  in  his  ability  to 
mediate  between  the  two. 

Washington  did  much  to  secure  for  the  Negro  a 
fair  hearing  all  over  the  country.  He  was  the  mouth 
piece  for  them  in  their  aspirations  and  struggles.  No 
picture  in  history  is  more  pathetic  than  that  of  the 
Negro  in  his  struggles  for  educational  and  economic 
independence  since  his  emancipation.  Washington's 
heart  beat  in  unison  with  all  that  was  best  in  the  Negro 
race.  He  built  up  the  school  at  Tuskegee  and  did  more 
1  for  the  economic  growth  and  development  oPthe 
Negroes  than  all  other  single  agencies  combined. 

There  has  been  to  a  certain  extent  a  difference  of 
opinion  as  to  the  value  of  Washington's  work  at  Tus 
kegee,  but  I  am  fully  persuaded  that  the  final  consensus 
of  opinion  among  students  of  history  will  vindicate 


10  INTRODUCTION 

thoroughly  the  value  of  the  work,  and  the  wisdom 
of  the  man  who  led  in  it.  Southern  white  people, 
especially  those  of  intelligence  and  Christian  character, 
are  coming  every  day  to  appreciate  more  deeply  the 
value  of  the  Negro  as  an  economic  asset  and  the  im 
portance  of  giving  him  every  advantage  for  his  most 
thorough  training  and  development. 

Dr.  Riley,  the  author  of  the  volume  before  us,  has 
rendered  very  fine  service  in  the  cause  of  Negro  ad 
vancement  in  past  years.  He  has  devoted  a  great  deal 
of  unselfish  labor  and  time  to  the  improvement  of  the 
Negro.  What  he  has  done  has  been  exceedingly 
helpful  in  enabling  white  people  to  understand  the 
Negro  and  in  encouraging  the  Negro  to  realize  his  own 
highest  possibilities.  Personally,  I  rejoice  deeply  that 
there  are  such  men  as  Dr.  Riley  among  us  in  the  South 
— men  who  are  broad-minded,  unselfish  and  conse 
crated  to  the  highest  ends  of  the  race,  whether  the  race 
be  black,  yellow,  or  white.  The  Biography  of  Booker 
T.  Washington  which  he  has  written  will,  I  believe, 
take  a  very  important  place  in  the  literature  of  the 
Negro.  I  rejoice  in  its  publication,  and  believe  it  will 
be  found  to  be  a  contribution  of  incalculable  value  to 
the  life,  development,  and  prosperity  of  the  Negro  and 
to  the  enlightenment  of  all  friends  of  the  Negro  race. 

E.  Y.  MULLINS. 

THE  SOUTHERN  BAPTIST  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY, 
Louisville,  Ky. 


PREFACE 

THE  position  held  by  Booker  T.  Washington  in 
the  biographical  annals  of  America  is  a  unique 
one.  Others  before  him  had  risen  from  ob 
scurity  to  eminence,  and  others  had  mastered  serious 
difficulties  in  their  upward  climb,  but  in  addition  to  all 
these  the  subject  of  this  volume  was  hampered  by  the 
fact  that  he  was  born  a  Negro  slave. 

An  additional  disadvantage  was  that  of  the  pe 
culiarity  of  the  period  in  which  Washington  rose  from 
deep  obscurity  to  high  eminence.  The  temper  of  the 
times  was  such  as  to  be  severely  against  him.  Race 
aversion  was  at  its  height,  and  the  prevailing  estimate 
of  the  Negro  was  the  lowest.  From  no  possible  source 
could  encouragement  be  expected.  Hence  the  pos 
sibility  of  recognition  had  to  be  created  by  the  ex- 
slave  himself.  By  dint  of  rare  genius  he  had  to 
generate  a  new  atmosphere,  a  condition  that  seemed 
impossible,  in  order  to  the  recognition  of  his  peculiar 
gifts  and  qualities. 

In  this  respect  certainly  Booker  T.  Washington  is 
unique  among  the  great  of  American  history.  To  have 
done  no  more  than  to  offset  the  difficulties  springing 
from  lowliness  of  life  and  extreme  penury  would  have 
ranked  him  alongside  many  others  whose  names  adorn 
our  biographical  history.  But  when  added  to  these 
were  the  stigma  of  slavery  and  the  adverse  conditions 
of  the  times,  the  lot  of  the  great  Negro  was  just  so 

11 


12  PREFACE 

much  the  severer  and  his  task  of  achievement  the 
harder.  To  this  extent  does  he  distance  pthers  with 
the  earliest  years  of  whose  lives  are  associated  lowly 
cabins,  menial  struggles,  and  the  pinch  of  privation. 

How  this  was  done  is  sought  to  be  shown  in  the 
chapters  of  this  volume.  Though  of  another  race, 
the  present  biographer  is  not  affected  by  the  conscious 
ness  of  the  fact  that  he  is  writing  of  a  Negro,  but  of 
a  man.  Nor  is  it  sought  in  these  pages  to  diminish  a 
full  statement  of  the  fierceness  of  the  times  through 
which  the  subject  of  this  volume  had  to  make  his  way 
to  the  attainment  of  the  preeminence  which  he  reached. 
Absolute  frankness  and  fairness  have  been  observed 
throughout. 

The  greatness  of  the  Negro  educator  and  reformer 
is  as  conspicuously  shown  in  his  novel  mastery  of  the 
difficulties  of  the  period  as  in  the  rare  qualities  of 
his  character.  That  an  ex-slave  should  have  even 
measurably  succeeded  with  the  odds  so  overwhelm 
ingly  against  him  would  have  been  creditable,  but  when 
he  scaled  the  slippery  heights  with  merit  so  unques 
tioned  and  conspicuous  as  to  subdue  opposition  and 
compel  general  recognition,  he  is  worthy  of  rare 
distinction. 

In  the  preparation  of  the  present  volume  there  has 
been  no  disposition  to  minimize  defect  in  order  to 
exaggerate  unduly  the  worth  of  Booker  T.  Washing 
ton,  but  throughout  the  effort  has  been  for  faith 
ful  fidelity  to  fact.  As  facts  have  been  ascertained 
they  have  been  presented  without  modification  or 
extenuation. 


CONTENTS 

I  ANTECEDENT  CONDITIONS     .        .        .  15 

II  NATIVITY  AND  EARLY  LIFE  ($ 

III  A  COMMON  LABORBR     ....  38 

IV  HAMPTON  INSTITUTE     .        .        .        .  51 
V  THE  GENIUS  OF  HAMPTON  INSTITUTE  63 

VI  VENTURES  INTO  THE  WORLD      .        .  77 

VII  IN  THE  VESTIBULE  OF  His  LIFE  WORK  91 

VIII  TUSKEGEE               106 

IX  SUPREME  DIFFICULTIES        .        .        .  123 

X  CULTIVATION  OF  CORDIAL  RELATIONS  138 

XI  THE  INTEREST  DEEPENS       .     •   .        .  152 

XII  STILL  ACHIEVING,  STILL  PURSUING    .  166 

XIII  THE  PROSPECT  WIDENS        .        .       ,  177 

XIV  NATIONAL  PROMINENCE       .        .        .  186 
XV  EFFECTS  OF  THE  ADDRESS     .        .  202 

XVI  HONOR  FOLLOWS  WORTH      .       .        ,  215 
XVII  WIDENING  INFLUENCE  AND  INCREAS 
ING  POWER        .                               .  231 
XVIII  RACE  ORGANIZATION  AND  CONSTRUC 
TION    .        .        .        .     '  .        .        .  241 
XIX  THE  SPIRIT  OF  ENLISTMENT        .        .  255 
XX  To  EUROPE  .          .       v       .        .        .  268 
XXI  LAST  YEARS  281 


ANTECEDENT  CONDITIONS 

EADERSHIP  is  indispensable  to  the  guidance 
and  the  development  of  every  people.  Even  in 
the  rudest  states  of  society  the  necessity  of  lead 
ership  is  instinctively  recognized,  and  because  of  the 
possession  of  certain  qualities,  chiefs  are  chosen  to 
lead  and  command.  In  the  juncture  of  certain  crises, 
leaders  have  sometimes  suddenly  arisen  as  the  direct 
creation  of  an  emergency,  hailing  even  from  uncon- 
jectured  quarters,  yet  having  just  the  qualities  needed 
for  the  exigency.  In  the  absence  of  a  leader  among 
the  ancient  people  of  Greece,  Homer  created  Achilles, 
and  by  the  display  of  his  mythical  exploits  fired  the 
hearts  of  a  barbarian  race  which  finally  won  the  sta 
tion  of  leadership  in  the  world's  thought. 

When  an  eminent  leader  appears  among  men  there 
is  at  once  activity  in  tracing  his  lineage  to  its  source 
in  search  of  the  discovery  of  the  germ  that  first  gave 
it  life.  If  the  blood  which  courses  through  the  veins 
of  a  hero  bears  upon  its  own  tide  the  virtues  by  which 
he  is  distinguished  such  an  one  becomes  preeminently 
unique. 

In  the  dawn  of  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves  of 
the  South,  no  people  ever  stood  in  direr  need  of  leader 
ship  of  a  peculiar  type.  Their  situation  was  an  ex- 

15 


16      LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

ceptional  one.  An  exotic  race,  long  enslaved,  and 
providentially  left  amid  its  former  circumstances  under 
conditions  peculiarly  pitiable,  the  demand  was  most 
urgent.  Original  paganism  in  the  fatherland  of  the 
black  race,  followed  by  centuries  of  bondage  in  a 
civilized  land,  left  these  black  people  in  an  anomalous 
condition.  Inspiring  leadership  was  needed  not  alone 
to  sound  the  rousing  note  of  beginning  to  achieve  for 
themselves,  but  to  stand  at  the  front  of  the  file  and 
direct  to  an  outlook  of  race  usefulness  and  aspiration. 

At  the  gateway  of  freedom  the  race  was  in  con 
fusion.  Their  ancestors,  wrenched  by  compulsion  from 
their  native  shores,  had  been  brought  half  the  circum 
ference  of  the  globe,  there  to  be  placed  in  conditions 
of  . enlightenment  and  progress  for  the  white  race; 
their  descendants  had  toiled  as  slaves.  Touched  by 
the  fresh  vitality  of  a  climate  more  favorable  to  the 
generation  of  energy,  and  quickened  even  in  their 
torpid  minds  by  their  surroundings,  thought  began  to 
germinate  like  seeds  long  buried,  and  a  once  inert  race 
gradually  awoke  to  mental  activity  even  under  the 
sway  of  protracted  servitude. 

Conditions  of  dependableness  could  not  have  been 
more  pronounced  than  in  the  case  of  the  imported  and 
enslaved  man  from  Africa.  His  will  was  utterly  sub 
ordinated  to  that  of  another,  and  had  its  obliteration 
been  possible  it  would  have  been  done.  Kept  in  en 
forced  ignorance  as  a  means  of  increased  usefulness  to 
the  owner,  and  yet  provided  with  the  necessary  amount 
of  training  to  make  him  a  valuable  laborer,  it  is  not 
a  matter  of  surprise  that  when  the  shackles  of  the  slave 


ANTECEDENT  CONDITIONS  17 

were  broken  asunder,  the  Negro  was  somewhat  ready, 
because  of  such  training,  to  enter  on  a  new  sphere  of 
life,  even  if  in  a  crude  and  bungling  fashion.  He  had 
been  considered  by  his  once  superior  owner  only  as  a 
machine.  Failing,  often,  to  grasp  the  change  wrought 
by  the  new  situation,  the  dominant  ex-master  still 
thought  that  the  freed  slave,  when  unsupported  by 
stronger  props,  would  relapse  into  original  paganism, 
or  else,  in  his  dependence,  would  be  forced  back  into 
practical  servitude. 

In  a  torrid  zone  and  in  haunts  of  inertia  where 
energy  was  paralyzed  and  where  physical  effort  was 
unnecessary  by  reason  of  the  prodigality  of  nature, 
this  estimate  might  have  been  justified.  But  two  pow 
erful  forces  had  mightily  told  on  a  race  now  more 
American  than  African,  one  of  which  was  a  favorabl< 
climatic  change,  and  the  other  the  stimulus  affordec 
by  the  spectacle  of  an  advanced  civilization. 

Both  in  energy  and  in  character  these  black  people 
had  been  largely  transformed  from  the  lowest  barbar 
ism  to  at  least  some  realization  of  civilized  ways.  To 
assume  that  with  the  relaxation  of  force  and  of  over 
sight  they  would  involuntarily  turn  backward,  was  to 
assume  that  which  had  never  been  true  of  any  people 
under  similar  conditions.  Unconsciously  to  himself 
and  unobserved  by  his  master,  the  Negro  slave  had 
been  ripening  for  the  freedom  which  must  inevitably 
be  his.  This  was  foreseen  by  Jefferson,  who  wrote  in 
his  diary  just  after  the  Revolution,  "  Nothing  was  ever 
more  inevitably  written  into  the  book  of  fate  than 
that  these  people  will  be  free." 


18   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

The  planting  of  the  Negro  on  the  salubrious  and 
enlivening  shores  of  the  New  World  was  not  unlike 
that  of  sowing  rare  and  exotic  seeds  from  a  distant 
quarter  of  the  globe.  Time  was  necessary  for  adap 
tation,  germination,  and  for  adjustment  to  new  con 
ditions,  but  when  they  should  spring  into  new  life  there 
would  be  profitable  rootage  and  fruitage.  The  profit 
to  be  derived  from  the  enslaved  African  was  dependent 
on  a  certain  degree  of  development  in  orde  *-o  reach 
desired  results,  but  during  this  process,  while  the  slave 
was  contributing  to  the  wealth  of  his  owner,  he  was, 
at  the  same  time,  slowly  rising  in  the  scale  of  civiliza 
tion.  This  needed  only  the  favor  of  opportunity  in 
order  to  the  development  of  forces  long  hidden  and 
obscured. 

With  the  Negro  the  same  laws  were  operative  as 
with  any  other  element  of  humanity,  and  when  the 
conditions  attendant  on  slavery  are  taken  into  account, 
it  is  not  so  much  a  matter  of  surprise,  after  all,  that 
the  black  man  swept  rapidly  forward  in  achievement. 
The  discipline  and  direction  of  his  life  in  slavery, 
while  he  was  within  full  view  of  advanced  civilized 
life,  was  his  course  taken  in  the  school  of  civilization. 
It  would  have  been  more  surprising  had  the  emanci 
pated  slave  not  moved  rapidly  forward. 

Almost  throughout  the  reign  of  slavery  indications 
$vere  afforded  of  the  longing  of  the  Negro  for  en 
lightenment.  The  readiness  of  the  more  favored  slaves 
to  acquire  the  rudiments  of  learning  and  the  pro 
ficiency  to  which  many  were  brought  in  the  different 
trades  of  handicraft  showed  their  responsiveness  to 


ANTECEDENT  CONDITIONS  19 

the  advantages  of  civilized  life.  An  idea  long  preva 
lent  in  the  states  of  the  South  was  that  enforced  igno 
rance  made  .the  Negro  more  content  with  his  lot;  and 
therefore  a  more  serviceable  man,  while  if  he  were 
taught  to  know  his  real  condition  it  would  result  in 
mischief  alike  to  himself  and  to  his  master.  It  was 
from  this  condition  that  there  grew  the  assertion  of 
the  gross  mental  inferiority  of  the  Negro.  That  which 
the  Ner  i  has  shown  himself  capable  of  becoming 
within  tne  first  fifty  years  of  his  freedom,  is  a  direct 
refutation  of  this  theory. 

Naturally  enough  the  Negro  has  developed  many 
excellent  qualities  since  his  emancipation,  of  the  ex 
istence  of  which  there  was  afforded  no  evidence  during 
the  prevalence  of  slavery;  but  this  is  evidently  due  to 
the  fact  that  for  practically  the  first  time  a  favorable 
opportunity  has  been  afforded.  The  adverse  judgment 
pronounced  against  the  Negro  in  the  dawn  of  his 
freedom,  and  the  predictions  concerning  his  destiny, 
were  founded  on  fallacious  premises  and  suggested  by 
precedents  that  were  strained.  It  was  quite  common 
to  refer  to  that  which  the  Negro  had  failed  to  do  irf. 
regions  like  Haiti,  San  Domingo,  and  Liberia,  and; 
rarely  to  that  which  he  had  accomplished  in  Cuba, 
which  was  nearer  the  temperate  zone.  In  the  regions 
first  mentioned  the  Negro  had  fallen  short,  but  there 
he  was  still  within  the  compass  of  a  retarding  climate. 
In  Cuba  he  owns  plantations  and  banks,  and  lives  in 
mansions.  In  the  American  states,  climate  stimulates 
energy,  both  physical  and  mental.  During  the  first 
years  of  the  freedom  of  the  Negro,  the  task  imposed 


20      LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

on  him  by  previous  conditions  of  servitude  was  a 
double  one — he  had  both  to  undo  and  to  do.  He  had 
to  disencumber  himself  of  the  consequence  of  the  false 
notions  of  his  master  in  whose  general  estimation  the 
slave  was  little  more  than  a  brute.  The  treatment 
of  the  masters  was  in  keeping  with  this  estimate.  De 
prived  of  advantages  of  enlightenment  and  with  no 
hope  of  ever  gaining  it,  the  slaves  naturally  fell  into  a 
state  of  apathy.  They  came  to  think  of  themselves 
as  little  better  than  brutes,  and  their  lives  were 
generally  squared  to  that  estimate.  This  was  pointed 
out  by  the  masters  as  an  evidence  of  intellectual  in 
feriority,  and  was  further  interpreted  to  mean  an 
abject  condition  which  Providence  designed  for  the 
Negro.  From  all  this  the  freed  slave  had  to  ex 
tricate  himself,  while  still  pushing  ahead  toward  the 
attainment  of  a  higher  plane  of  life. 

Scarcely  could  the  condition  of  any  people  have  been 
more  abnormal  than  that  of  the  slaves  of  the  South  at 
the  outset  of  freedom.  For  generations  they  had 
longed  and  prayed  for  liberty.  The  strivings  within 
them  had  often  found  vent  in  prayer  in  their  squalid 
quarters  on  the  plantation.  They  pined  for  that  which, 
when  it  came,  was  an  embarrassing  boon.  It  was  at 
first  liberty  without  ability  of  direction.  It  was  a 
confusion  of  joy  with  no  foretaste  as  yet  of  its  grim 
reality  of  meaning.  The  sense  of  independence  was 
there  without  any  idea  of  self-dependence.  It  was  a 
jumbled  mass  of  glee,  crudeness,  capability,  possibility, 
hopefulness  without  foresight,  and  of  kindly  disposi 
tion  in  poverty.  What  was  to  become  of  a  mass  like 


ANTECEDENT  CONDITIONS  21 

this?  What  destiny  awaited  this  incongruous  host? 
The  future  must  tell. 

It  will  require  considerable  time  yet  for  the  Negro 
to  get  rid  of  much  that  is  ancestral  to  the  race — the 
inheritance  of  centuries.  Not  only  must  he  be  patient, 
but  so  must  all  others.  Prejudice,  aversion,  force, 
violence,  and  depreciation,  will  not  tend  to  lift  the 
Negro  up,  but  to  cast  him  down.  To  demand  a  dis 
play  of  quality  equal  to  that  of  those  favored  by  cen 
turies  of  advantage  is  both  unreasonable  and  absurd. 
The  Negro  race  is  yet  in  its  childhood.  While  the 
criminal  class  deserves  punishment  for  crimes  com 
mitted,  reason  should  recognize  the  past  disadvantage 
of  the  Negro,  and  not  exercise  vengeance  which  is 
contrary  to  the  proper  execution  of  the  law.  To  this 
the  Negro  in  his  present  condition  is  much  exposed. 
The  rule  of  vengeance  rather  than  that  of  reason,  is 
debasing  alike  to  the  race  on  which  it  is  wreaked 
and  to  the  inflictors,  and,  in  the  end,  to  American 
civilization. 

Time  is  needed  for  the  Negro  to  pass  from  the 
effects  of  the  stigma  of  slavery,  from  under  much 
unreasonable  race  prejudice  and  preconceived  theories 
which,  while  largely  insubstantial,  operate  with  all  the 
force  of  fact.  But  the  advancing  black  man  is  certain 
to  commend  himself  as  he  shall  advance.  To  with 
hold  credit  from  the  meritorious,  no  matter  where 
found,  argues  something  wrong  with  him  who  enter 
tains  such  views. 

In  his  present  condition,  the  Negro  needs  friends, 
and  friends  of  superior  advantage  and  circumstance. 


22   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

He  is  in  the  South  to  remain  as  an  integral  part  of 
the  country.  To  aid  in  his  improvement  is  the  clear 
duty  of  advanced  citizenship.  To  make  him  worse, 
no  matter  by  what  method,  is  to  retard  general  develop 
ment.  To  demand  conformity  to  an  order  of  society 
equal  to  that  of  the  higher  and  more  favored  class  is 
as  unreasonable  as  to  expect  children  to  be  men. 
Where  he  shows  signs  of  improvement  he  should  be 
cheered  by  inspiration,  and  brought  to  a  state  of 
citizenship  as  rapidly  as  possible.  Where  by  unusual 
force  of  energy  and  wisdom  he  succeeds,  he  should  be 
accorded  respect  and  encouragement.  A  course  like 
this  is  consistent  with  patriotism,  philanthropy, 
morality,  and  Christianity. 

The  astonishment  often  expressed  at  the  remarkable 
strides  made  by  the  superior  class  of  Negroes  is  not 
reasonable.  They  are  simply  responding  to  conditions 
which  favor  development.  The  results  are  but  an 
exemplification  of  the  law  of  the  adjustment  of  means 
to  ends.  In  a  certain  zone  in  the  state  of  Washington, 
it  has  been  found  that  horses  can  be  brought  to  the 
highest  degree  of  development;  in  a  certain  region  of 
California  the  finest  specimens  of  domestic  fowls  can 
be  produced,  while  in  still  another  the  best  celery  of 
the  world  is  grown.  Given  the  proper  conditions,  and 
the  requisite  capability  of  responsiveness,  and  we  have 
the  logical  results.  Not  otherwise  is  it  with  men. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  apply  these  principles  to  the 
Negro  race  as  it  was  and  is.  Nothing  is  clearer  than 
that  neither  the  paganism  of  ages  with  all  its  attendant 
debasement,  nor  the  oppression  of  slavery,  could  ex- 


ANTECEDENT  CONDITIONS  23 

terminate  capability  and  responsiveness  in  the  race. 
Under  right  conditions  these  germs  were  stirred  into 
new  life.  The  things  which  seemed  to  be  hindrances 
to  the  black  man  in  his  enforced  servitude  turned  out 
to  be  helps. 

Nor  does  this  justify  the  institution  of  slavery. 
On  the  one  side  was  the  evil  imposed  by  the  mastery 
of  the  white  race,  while  on  the  other  was  the  uninten 
tional  good  done  the  Negro.  He  underwent  much  of 
cruelty  and  of  imposition,  but  it  was  not  without  much 
ultimate  profit  to  himself.  While  not  justifying 
slavery,  this  vindicates  the  ways  of  Providence. 

Fresh  from  servitude,  and  equally  fresh  in  the  flush 
of  a  new-born  freedom,  the  Negro  stood  at  the  gateway 
of  a  mighty  transition.  The  way  before  him  was  yet 
untried.  In  the  great  mass  he  was  dismally  ignorant ; 
his  qualities  of  coarse  vice  had  been  unchecked  in 
slavery,  his  moral  perceptions  were  blunted,  battered, 
while  the  exercise  of  independent  action  and  will  was 
much  like  the  feet  of  a  baby  before  he  takes  the  first 
step;  his  senses  of  discrimination  and  of  judgment 
were  sorely  restricted,  and  his  powers  were  yet  un- 
drilled  in  the  school  of  self-reliance. 

This  was  true  of  the  colored  man  as  an  individual, 
but  what  about  his  environments  ?  '  He  was  a  victim 
of  poverty.  /'Nothing  was  his  in  the  midst  of  the 
wealth  of  his  own  creation.  He  was  penniless,  home 
less,  foodless,  landless.  He  was  the  innocent  victim 
of  surroundings  that  seemed  to  mock  him.  Two  pos 
sessions  were  his,  however,  and  two  alone,  and  on 
them  he  was  absolutely  dependent.  These  were  his 


24   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

muscles  of  iron  and  a  large  stock  of  hopefulness. 
With  the  one  he  could  labor,  by  the  other  he  was 
cheered.  Whatever  the  position  of  the  Negro,  his 
spirits  never  forsook  him.  If  sad,  his  sadness  was 
softened  by  song.  No  gloom  was  suffered  to  abide  on 
his  spirit  even  while  laboring  under  the  lash.  As  he 
cleared  the  forests,  the  echoes  of  his  ax  were  accom 
panied  by  gusts  of  glee;  as  he  turned  the  furrows, 
there  was  the  freedom  of  song;  as  he  reaped  the 
harvests  of  the  master  there  was  melody  in  his  labor. 
Often  even  after  the  exacting  toils  of  the  day  were 
over,  he  would  seek  vent  for  his  pent-up  spirits  in  danc 
ing  with  tired  but  agile  feet  in  response  to  the  fiddle 
and  the  discordant  notes  of  the  old  banjo.  Subjected 
to  the  castigation  of  the  lash,  he  cherished  no  malice, 
fostered  no  deeply-nourished  grudge,  harbored  no  re 
venge,  but  bearing  from  the  punishment  the  marks 
and  scars  of  affliction,  he  was  yet  cheerful,  docile,  kind, 
and  loyal  as  before.  Adversity  could  not  eclipse  his 
cheerfulness,  nor  oppression  dampen  his  joy. 

The  Negro  is  chided  and  criticised  for  this  cheer 
fulness  which  is  often  interpreted  to  mean  indifference, 
yet  it  is  to  him  a  natural  reserve  fund,  an  asset  of 
character  necessary  to  his  condition,  an  invisible  rod 
and  staff  that  supports  him  when  all  else  is  gone. 
With  muscle  and  hope  the  Negro  faced  the  future 
undismayed  by  the  jibes  of  his  superiors  in  life-condi 
tions,  and  undaunted  by  the  discouragements  which 
frowned  in  the  path  before  him. 

Along  with  his  freedom  came  aspiration,  a  new 
possession  which  would  have  been  useless  in  slavery. 


ANTECEDENT  CONDITIONS  25 

Its  birth  in  his  being  gave  fresh  elasticity  to  hope,  and 
this  sought  expression  in  education.  To  his  be 
wildered  mind  it  had  been  a  profound  mystery  how  his 
master  by  looking  on  an  open  paper  or  book  could 
derive  so  much  pleasure.  In  the  early  days  of  his 
freedom  the  black  man  set  himself  to  solve  this  mys 
tery.  Among  the  ex-slaves,  with  few  exceptions,  the 
idea  of  education  was,  in  the  beginning,  as  insub 
stantial  as  the  air,  but  they  knew  enough  to  under 
stand  that  it  could  be  had  by  the  mastery  of  books 
and  thus,  with  hungering  and  thirsting  of  spirit,  they 
fell  to  study.  There  was  no  limit  to  the  ridicule  to 
which  the  ignorant  searcher  after  knowledge  was  ex 
posed,  nevertheless  he  plodded  on  his  laborious  way. 
His  soul  was  on  fire  for  enlightenment,  and  in  this 
fact  lay  the  chief  hope  of  a  groping  race. 

Within  a  few  years  potent  signs  began  to  appear. 
From  obscure  and  unexpected  quarters  came  former 
slave  boys  and  girls,  incipient  leaders  of  the  race. 
The  law  of  sacrifice  to  which  the  Negro  had  paid 
abundant  tribute  now  began  to  assume  expression  in 
the  appearance  of  men  and  women  of  worth.  The 
former  slave  began  to  be  heard  and  felt.  Hence  came 
the  erratic,  but  none  the  less  unquestioned,  genius, 
John  Jasper,  of  Richmond,  Virginia;  the  oratorical 
C.  T.  Walker,  of  Augusta,  Georgia;  the  gifted  states 
man,  B.  K.  Bruce,  of  Mississippi;  the  wizard  of 
finance,  Richard  H.  Boyd,  of  Nashville,  Tennessee; 
the  pioneer  banker,  W.  R.  Petti  ford,  of  Birmingham, 
Alabama,  and,  last  of  all  to  be  named  in  this  con 
nection,  the  monumental  race-builder  and  civilizer, 


26      LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

Booker  T.  Washington.  Hence,  too,  has  come  an 
army  of  worthies  in  the  wake  of  these,  who  have  gone 
into  all  the  departments  of  human  activity  with 
astonishing  success. 

Necessarily,  at  first,  Negro  leaders  were  exceptional. 
They  stood  far  apart  and  few,  along  the  heights, 
beckoning  the  race  upward.  They  were  the  fore 
runners  of  Negro  success,  the  dispellers  of  doubt  of 
Negro  capability,  the  indicators  of  that  soon  to  be. 
The  generation  next  succeeding  that  of  the  slaves  wit 
nessed  the  uprising  of  an  army  of  Negro  worthies 
whose  achievements  astonished  the  world.  Now,  it  is 
rare  to  find  a  Negro  who  cannot  read  and  write. 
With  steps  timid  and  faltering,  the  Negro  first  entered 
on  the  professions,  trades,  and  vocations,  but  now  all 
of  these  have  their  worthy  colored  representatives. 

Original  theories  of  the  intellectual  inferiority  of 
the  Negro  were  overset  within  a  few  years,  and  on  the 
part  of  many  the  original  estimate  of  the  race  was 
reluctantly  surrendered.  Negro  successes  were  re 
garded  at  first  as  sporadic,  but  objections  were  hushed 
when  Negro  education  became  general.  Fact  had 
convinced. 

This  is  but  a  rough  and  imperfect  review  of  the 
first  struggles  of  the  race,  a  background  of  the  history 
of  a  people,  now  still  achieving,  still  pursuing,  as  they 
face  the  years  of  the  future.  The  survey  prepares 
us  to  take  up  the  career  and  labors  of  one  into  whose 
short  life  of  wonderful  activity  were  crowded  momen 
tous  events,  and  on  whose  integrity  the  destiny  of  a 
people  of  millions  living  and  beginning  under  the 


ANTECEDENT  CONDITIONS  27 

conditions  already  described,  depended  more  than  on 
any  other.  The  changes  that  have  been  rapidly 
wrought  within  the  last  half -century  have  made  it 
possible  for  a  descendant  of  slaveholders  cheerfully  to 
assume  the  task  of  committing  to  permanent  form  the 
extraordinary  life  of  a  slave  boy — a  life  which, 
through  a  period  of  four  decades,  was  such  as  to 
elicit  not  only  the  attention  and  interest  of  the  world, 
but  its  highest  commendation.  In  the  chapters  which 
follow  will  be  recorded  the  life  and  times  of  Booker 
Taliaferro  Washington,  the  famous  Negro  educator, 
reformer,  elevator,  pacifist,  and  leader. 


II 

NATIVITY  AND  EARLY  LIFE 

IN  tracing  the  life  of  Booker  T.  Washington,  it  is 
not  to  be  presumed  that  the  pen  of  a  white 
biographer  will  be  restrained  to  any  extent  from 
the  fullest  expression  because  the  subject  was  a  Negro. 
While  there  is  no  disposition  either  unduly  to  exalt 
his  worth  or  to  exaggerate  the  importance  of  his 
work,  there  will  be  accorded  to  him  the  merits  of  his 
just  deserts.  The  simple  fact  that  he  was  a  dis 
tinguished  American  who  wrought  mightily  in  his 
generation  for  the  good  of  both  races,  entitles  him  to 
full  recognition  and  to  the  perpetuation  of  a  fame 
worthily  won. 

Of  not  a  few  great  Americans  the  conditions  of 
birth  have  been  low  and  obscure.  The  birth-place  of 
at  least  one  brilliant  military  commander  is  unknown, 
so  humble  were  the  conditions  of  his  family  and  so 
great  is  the  lack  of  data  concerning  his  advent  into 
the  world.  The  most  eager  and  diligent  search  of 
biographers  has  been  a  failure  on  this  point,  yet  he  rose 
to  the  command  of  the  American  army  and  became  a 
chief  magistrate  of  the  nation.  The  birth  of  another 
president  is  wrapped  in  obscurity ;  during  almost  thirty 
years  of  the  first  part  of  his  life  he  was  an  humble 
laborer,  a  rail-splitter,  and  was  inured  to  penury  and 


NATIVITY  AND  EARLY  LIFE  29 

the  deepest  privation.  Still  another  president  was  not 
able  to  read  till  after  his  marriage.  The  early  diffi 
culties  of  other  eminent  Americans  might  be  named, 
but  these  are  sufficient  for  the  purpose  now  in  hand. 

Certainly  none  who  attained  to  distinction  could 
have  been  more  obscure  than  Booker  T.  Washington, 
and  his  early  life  was  handicapped  by  the  additional 
fact  that  he  was  a  Negro  slave.  Still  another  fact 
which  operated  most  seriously  against  him  was  that 
his  career  was  begun  when  race  antagonism  in  the 
South  was  the  severest.  That  one  in  his  position  and 
condition  should  have  been  able  to  attain  to  a  station 
of  any  consequence  is  most  remarkable,  and  that  he 
should  be  able  to  master  the  most  obstinate  obstruc 
tions,  and  to  achieve  the  seemingly  impossible,  crowns 
him  with  a  degree  of  merit  to  which  the  others  named 
cannot  possibly  lay  claim.  He  was  of  a  despised  race ; 
he  was  ignorant  and  poor;  the  tension  of  the  times 
was  such  that  under  ordinary  conditions  any  expressed 
ambition  on  his  part  to  accomplish  that  which  he  suc 
ceeded  in  achieving  would  have  invited  violent  opposi 
tion;  and,  in  addition,  he  was  without  friends  to  ad 
vise  and  direct. 

'Born  in  a  slave  hut,  on  an  interior  plantation,  near 
a  cross-roads  post  office  called  Hale's  Ford,  in  Frank 
lin  county,  Virginia,  about  the  year  1857,  is  the 
earliest  record  of  this  notable  man.  On  some  of  the 
plantations  of  the  South  the  birth  of  each  black  child, 
the  deaths  of  slaves,  the  purchase  and  sale,  and  what 
ever  was  of  consequence  went  on  record,  but  on  the 
plantation  on  which  Washington  was  born  no  such 


30   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

care  was  taken.  Slaves  knew  nothing  of  dates,  and 
events  were  remembered  by  association  with  certain 
other  events  of  note.  By  such  association  Washington's 
mother  was  enabled  to  indicate  the  approximate  year 
of  his  birth. 

The  slave  child  was  called  Booker,  by  which  name 
he  was  known  till  he  was  quite  a  lad.  His  mother, 
Jane,  was  a  cook  for  the  slaves  on  the  plantation. 
Like  other  slaves,  she  was  known  by  that  name  alone, 
but  when  asked  for  her  full  name,  she  would  give 
that  of  Jane  Ferguson.  Nothing  is  known  of  Booker's 
master  other  than  that  his  name  was  Burroughs. 

The  time  of  the  birth  of  this  young  slave,  Booker, 
was  that  of  a  struggle,  the  premonitions  of  which 
were  already  beginning  to  appear.  In  1857  James 
Buchanan  took  his  seat  as  president,  the  last  repre 
sentative  of  his  party  to  do  so  for  thirty-eight  years. 
The  events  of  the  time  gave  a  fresh  impulse  to  the 
inevitable  conflict.  The  assumed  sincerity  of  Mr. 
Buchanan  in  his  initial  statement  to  Congress  that 
slavery  was  a  dead  issue,  had  the  direct  effect  of  re 
viving  it  as  an  issue,  and  his  administration  was 
signalized  by  preparation  for  the  great,  Civil  War.  In 
the  same  connection  may  be  named  another  event 
which  occurred  shortly  after  the  inauguration  of 
President  Buchanan,  that  of  the  opinion  rendered  by 
Chief  Justice  Taney  in  the  case  of  Dred  Scott.  These 
deliverances  seemed  to  sentence  the  slaves  to  perpetual 
servitude.  That  there  was  born  at  the  time  of  these 
occurrences  in  the  highest  national  councils  at  Wash 
ington,  a  little  slave,  on  whom  would  be  providentially 


NATIVITY  AND  EARLY  LIFE  31 

imposed  the  supreme  task  of  leadership  in  undoing  the 
complications  into  which  the  country  was  at  that  time 
steadily  moving,  is  a  remarkable  coincidence.  Nothing 
could  have  seemed  more  remote  than  such  a  possibility. 
While  the  events  of  the  time  moved  in  ominous  pro 
cession  toward  a  long  and  bloody  conflict  of  sections, 
the  ignorant  young  slave  on  the  plantation  in  Virginia 
was  subjected  to  all  the  conditions  incident  to  such  on 
the  plantations  of  the  South.  There  was  nothing  to 
differentiate  him  from  any  other  youthful  slave.  Not 
the  slightest  indication  was  given  in  anything  said 
or  done  by  him  of  that  which  he  was  destined  to  be 
come.  His  hard  life  in  the  midst  of  slavish  environ 
ment  was  a  mere  matter  of  course.  Yet  from  this 
abject  quarter  he  was  to  come  as  a  harbinger  of  a 
new  era. 

"  Manners  with  fortunes,  humors  turn  with  climes, 
Tenets  with  books,  and  principles  with  times." 

No  less  improbable  seemed  the  emancipation  of  his 
race,  yet  within  the  next  half  dozen  years  a  proclama 
tion  of  emancipation  would  be  issued,  and  thus  would 
be  enacted  the  first  scene  in  the  drama  of  his  eventful 
life.  Even  as  late  as  1861,  the  vice-president  of  the 
Confederacy,  in  his  famous  "  corner-stone "  speech 
at  Savannah,  Georgia,  said  that  "  slavery  was  the 
natural  and  normal  condition  of  the  Negro  because  of 
his  racial  inferiority." 

The  years  immediately  following  that  of  Booker 
T.  Washington's  birth  were  those  of  turbulence.  Mr. 


32      LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

,  Buchanan  had  manifestly  misconceived  the  spirit  of 
I  the  times.  A  storm  of  abolition  violence  broke  forth 
I  afresh  in  the  North,  while  the  contests  on  the  floors 
of  Congress  waxed  fiercer.  Books  in  denunciation  of 
slavery  and  others  written  in  its  defense,  poured  in  a 
torrent  from  the  press,  and  journals  on  both  sidesyof 
Mason  and  Dixon's  line  warred  with  fury.  Poets, 
teachers,  professors,  ministers  of  the  gospel,  editors, 
authors,  speakers  on  the  stump  and  on  the  platform, 
hastened  the  "  irrepressible  conflict."  Slavery  was  the 
dominant  topic  around  the  fireside,  in  the  village 
group,  in  the  circles  of  hotels,  and  in  the  corridors  and 
chambers  of  the  national  Capitol.  The  atmosphere 
was  more  pregnantly  charged  with  hostility  as  the 
administration  of  Mr.  Buchanan  drew  toward  its 
close. 

Meanwhile,  the  little  slave  who  was  destined  to  play 
so  conspicuous  a  part  in  the  subsequent  drama,  was 
being  nursed  on  the  lap  of  his  slave  mother  on  an 
)bscure  plantation  in  Virginia.  Events  in  our  national 
Ihistory  were  never  more  capricious  and  phenomenal 
than  in  the  years  stretching  from  1857  to  1882.  It 
ras  an  iconoclastic  period.  Passion  raged  to  the  sub 
version  of  judgment,  and  policy  was  often  exercised 
in  defiance  of  principle.  Views  were  changed  by  pass 
ing  events  rather  than  by  the  consequences  toward 
which  they  evidently  tended.  The  coolness  or  delibera 
tion  of  men  was  incapable  of  lofty  thought  and  of 
cautious  action.  Terms  and  designations  once  cher 
ished,  became  those  of  opprobrium.  Excitement  and 
not  reason  ruled  the  hour.  Anglo-Saxon  fervor  was 


NATIVITY  AND  EARLY  LIFE  33 

wrought  to  the  highest  degree.     The  reaction  was 
destined  to  bring  some  marvelous  changes. 

The  period  of  mind  clashing  against  mind  was 
followed  by  that  of  contending  armies  in  battle. 
Virginia  was  the  chief  theater  of  the  long  struggle, 
but  the  scenes  of  carnage  were  quite  apart  from  the 
region  in  which  the  young  slave,  Booker,  had  passed 
out  of  the  swaddlings  of  babyhood  to  the  activity  of 
boyhood  with  no  other  prospect  than  of  being  a  toiling 
slave  as  his  ancestors  before  him  had  been. 

When  the  armies  of  the  Confederacy  had  capitulated 
and  the  war  was  over,  a  new  era  came ;  the  slave  was 
forever  free,  the  great  Emancipator  had  been  assas 
sinated,  new  complications  had  arisen,  the  passion  of 
contention  was  still  rife,  the  victors  were  pressing  their 
issue  to  contemplated  consummation,  the  defeated 
were  still  resisting  as  far  as  they  might,  and  there 
came  a  strain  to  the  utmost  tension  between  the  former 
master  and  the  erstwhile  slave.  . 

It  was  a  time  of  political  agitation,  and  politicalN 
parties  were  each  playing  for  the  utmost  advantage  \ 
possible,  the  one  riding  at  high  tide,  the  other  resisting  j 
to  the  utmost.     On  the  ex-slave  fell  the  consequence  -f 
of  it  all     Without  any  positive  or  direct  agency  in  ' 
the  events  which  so  vitally  affected  him,  he  was  the 
burden-bearer  of  the  results  of  the  continued  con-; 
tention.     That  which  had  been  true  for  many  years 
concerning  the  black  man  was  still  true. 

The  years  immediately  succeeding  the  close  of  the 
Civil  War  were  chaotic.  With  reference  to  the  late 
slave  population  they  were  peculiarly  so.  Without 


34      LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

initiative  because  long  dependent  on  others,  ignorant, 
penniless,  homeless,  and  foodless, — scarcely  could  the 
condition  of  any  class  have  been  worse.  In  bewilder 
ment  these  unfortunate  people  were  scattered,  many 
hanging  about  the  camps  of  the  conquerors,  others 
wandering  idly  here  and  there,  multitudes  swarming 
the  cities,  while  not  a  few  threaded  the  highways  of 
the  country  hungry  and  in  search  of  employment  else 
where  than  on  the  plantations  of  their  late  servitude, 
the  impression  being  that  to  labor  on  these  would  imply 
anything  other  than  freedom.  It  was  a  period  of 
dark  transition  to  the  Negro. 

Nor  was  it  less  so  to  the  whites.  The  old  system 
was  broken  up.  Extensive  plantations,  once  yielding 
immensely,  were  now  lying  idle.  Land  was  a  burden 
to  the  former  slaveholder.  Gloom  had  come  where 
before  there  had  been  contentment  and  ease.  It  was 
a  period  of  irritation  resulting  from  the  dire  effects  of 
war.  Business  in  the  South  was  stagnant,  and  the 
price  of  goods  high.  The  races  now  standing  apart 
regarded  each  other  with  distrustfulness. 

When  the  armies  of  the  Confederacy  surrendered 
Booker  T.  Washington  was  a  mere  boy.  He  heard 
the  terrors  of  the  situation  discussed  by  his  elders. 
He  recalled  in  after  years  the  impression  made  at  a 
period  when  children  become  receptive  of  the  things 
occurring  about  them.  He  heard  of  the  surrender  of 
armies,  and  of  freedom,  without  understanding  its 
meaning,  and  shared  in  the  shifting  movements  of  his 
perplexed  people.  As  before  stated,  simultaneously 
with  the  comparative  settlement  of  conditions,  came 


NATIVITY  AND  EARLY  LIFE  35 

the  desire  of  the  freed  people  for  education — the  first 
real  aspiration  of  the  emancipated  Negro.  The  first 
schools  for  them  were  thronged  alike  by  the  aged  and 
the  young  thirsting  for  enlightenment.  Not  infre 
quently  in  the  same  crowded  schoolroom  were 
gathered,  grotesquely  and  yet  pathetically  enough,  the 
spectacled  grandfathers  and  grandmothers,  and  the 
small  children,  all  burrowing  into  the  mysteries  of  the 
blue-backed  speller,  The  delight  afforded  by  the 
acquisition  of  the  alphabet,  and  the  ability  to  spell 
syllables  of  two  letters,  was  an  incitement  to  bore  with 
increasing  labor  and  zeal  into  the  profounder  mys 
teries  of  orthography.  In  these  excitants  the  clumsy 
boy  joined  with  the  other  children,  and,  indeed,  with 
those  of  every  age,  with  a  genuine  ambition  occasioned 
by  the  excitability  of  the  situation. 

It  was  some  years  later  that  the  vision  of  achieve 
ment  began  to  loom  for  him  on  the  horizon  of  the 
future.  He  was  impressed  by  the  unusual  struggles 
of  his  people  to  gather  knowledge  as  well  as  by  the 
disadvantages  which  encumbered  them.  The  ex-slaves 
were  very  poor,  and  the  few  schools  provided  for  them 
were,  for  the  most  part,  very  indifferent.  A  few 
Northern  teachers  had  come  South  to  aid  the  f reedmen 
in  their  educational  struggles.  But  they  were  socially 
ostracized  and  otherwise  embarrassed. 

Then  came  the  era  of  reconstruction.  The  most 
designing  of  low  politicians  from  the  North  uniting 
with  a  similar  class  from  the  South,  entered  on  the 
work  of  deception,  by  pretense  of  kindness  to  the  poor, 
deluded  colored  man ;  but  they  brought  to  his  already 


36   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

weary  shoulders  a  new  burden,  involving  him  in  fresh 

trouble.     And  when  they  had  to  flee,  they  left  the 

j     Negro  in  his  helplessness,  with  the  results  to  shoulder. 

Demoralization  waxed  into  hostility,  and  then  into 

V  violence. 

The  years  of  the  boyhood  and  the  young  manhood 
of  this  sketch  were  those  of  deepening  depression  to 
his  people.  Throughout  the  states  of  the  South  the 
situation  grew  worse  as  time  went  on.  They  were  the 
years  of  the  first  venture  of  the  Negro  into  the  sphere 
of  independence — those  of  the  first  steps  in  experi 
mental  citizenship.  This  was  offset  by  a  corresponding 
growth  of  irritation  in  the  whites.  Intent  to  demon 
strate  in  some  way  his  sense  of  liberty,  the  Negro 
would  not  readily  comply  with  the  wishes  of  the 
whites,  and  this  would  arouse  increasing  sensitiveness, 
as  the  now  assertive  black  man  had  just  previously, 
as  a  slave,  been  plastic  and  docile.  The  whites  could 
not  yet  understand  why  a  Negro  should  not  obey  when 
ordered,  and  when  he  declined,  it  was  taken  as  an  ex 
pression  of  impudence,  and  friction  would  ensue. 

The  first  efforts  of  Negroes  in  the  spheres  of  in 
dependent  action,  especially  in  that  of  industry,  were 
generally  derided  because  of  their  awkwardness  and 
blundering,  though  in  some  instances  the  friendlier 
and  more  sympathetic  of  the  whites  would  aid  them  in 
their  local  endeavors,  especially  in  the  formation  of 
their  religious  organizations. 

/^  The  Negro  leader  of  the  time  was  a  politician,  which 
I  made  him  especially  obnoxious  to  the  whites,  while  the 
y  colored  ministry  of  the  period  was  generally  illiterate 


NATIVITY  AND  EARLY  LIFE  37 

and  obscure,  and  therefore  without  influence.  For  a' 
long  time  the  only  point  of  contact  between  the  races 
was  that  of  employer  and  employee.  To  add  to 
the  irritation  of  the  time,  detachments  of  federal 
troops  were  stationed  about  the  country,  vested  with 
authority,  to  whose  commanders  reports  would  be 
made  by  the  Negroes,  and  occasionally  white  men 
would  be  placed  in  prison  in  consequence.  Greater 
fierceness  was  aroused  when  Negro  constabulary 
squads  were  sent  out  to  arrest  the  whites.  These  conJ 
ditions  prevailed  for  a  period  of  fifteen  years  before 
Booker  Washington  appeared  on  the  scene. 


Ill 

A  COMMON  LABORER 

THE  sudden  burst  of  freedom  for  the  slaves 
of  the  South,  an  event  ushered  in  practically 
after  the  surrender  of  the  Confederate  armies, 
was  the  occasion  of  boundless  joy.  The  proclama 
tion  of  freedom  by  Mr.  Lincoln  in  1863,  two  years 
before,  was  a  merely  formal  deliverance  at  which  the 
slave  owners  at  the  time  only  hooted,  so  sanguine 
were  they  of  final  success.  Slavery  was  destined  to 
await  the  final  surrender  of  the  forces  of  the  South. 

To  an  ignorant  people  the  full  significance  of  the 
gift  was  not  at  first  understood  and  appreciated.  The 
general  idea  of  the  boon  was  the  crudest.  As  slavery 
to  the  slave  meant  labor,  so  to  him  freedom  meant  a 
reversal  of  condition — it  meant  immunity  from  toil — 
it  meant  rest.  Beyond  that  conception  as  a  final  idea, 
the  ordinary  slave  thought  did  not  go.  Consequently, 
with  slight  exception,  the  Negro  was  not  disposed, 
when  freed,  to  labor  on  the  same  plantation  from 
which  he  had  come,  nor  for  his  former  owner.  Neither 
was  he  disposed  to  adopt  the  name  of  the  master; 
when  he  came  to  assume  a  surname,  he  generally  took 
that  of  another,  sometimes  arbitrarily,  sometimes 
from  some  former  owner  of  his  ancestors. 

Among  the  earliest  ambitions  of  the  late  slave  was 


A  COMMON  LABORER  39 

that  of  a  middle  letter  or  name.  If  his  given  name 
was  "Thomas,"  he  would  attach  to  it  some  other  of 
his  own  choice,  brothers  and  sisters  of  the  same  family 
bearing  a  variety  of  assumed  names.  Again,  the 
middle  initial  might  signify  a  name  or  it  might  be 
merely  what  they  called  their  "  entitles."  On  the 
plantation  as  slaves  they  were  known  by  their  given 
names  only.  To  the  recent  slaves  this  assumption  of 
a  name  was  one  of  the  necessary  accompaniments  of 
freedom.  Their  ambition  was  to  have  their  names 
sound  like  "  de  white  folks'." 

With  the  passing  of  the  first  passion  of  joy  of  the 
liberated  slave,  came  the  stern,  cold  pinch  and  pres 
sure  of  necessity.  Labor  was  still  as  exactingly  de4 
manded  as  before,  but  it  must  now  be  done  on  a  basis! 
entirely  different  from  that  of  slave  regulation.  Every! 
one  must  now  become  his  own  regulator,  both  with 
respect  to  the  character  of  the  work  to  be  done  and  the 
wages  paid.  Here  the  ignorant  black  was  at  a  great 
disadvantage.  He  knew  nothing  of  the  value  of  wages 
and  less  of  the  value  of  money.  Rates  for  labor  were 
low,  prices  for  goods  high,  and  the  possession  of  a  few 
dollars  was  a  peculiar  delight.  In  his  ignorance  he 
was  exposed  to  every  sort  of  extortion  and  disadvan 
tage,  of  which  not  a  few  of  the  whites  availed  them 
selves,  although,  on  the  other  hand,  many  dealt  with 
the  strictest  honesty. 

Another  serious  handicap  to  the  blacks  was  that  of 
the  dramshops.  It  was  a  period  when  disreputable 
saloons  held  sway.  One  was  at  every  crossroads,  while 
in  every  village  there  were  a  number.  Denied  intoxi- 


40   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

cants  in  slavery,  the  Negro  now  exulted  in  the  privilege 
of  drink.  The  barroom  flourished  at  the  expense  of 
his  victimized  ignorance.  This  induced  crime  and,  in 
turn,  violence.  The  irritation  prevailing,  the  igno 
rance  of  the  blacks,  and  the  abundance  of  liquor, 
produced  a  situation  the  most  appalling.  Amidst  these 
early  conditions  moved  the  future  leader  of  his  people. 
A  mere  boy  yet,  scarcely  beyond  the  period  of  child 
hood,  he  was  already  anxious  to  improve  his  condi 
tion.  In  quest  of  the  best  position  possible,  his  step 
father  had  gone  to  the  salt  mines  in  the  Kanawha 
Valley  of  West  Virginia,  whence,  later,  he  summoned 
the  family  to  follow. 

At  this  time  Booker  had  scarcely  turned  into  the 
teens.  He  helped  dump  the  meager  household  goods 
into  a  cart  to  start  overland  to  West  Virginia  several 
hundred  miles  away.  Wide  and  deep  streams  were  to 
be  crossed,  besides  mountain  ranges.  He  must  walk 
for  the  most  part,  as  the  roads  were  rough  lind  the 
team  of  oxen  was  small.  This  was  Booker's  first  ven 
ture  into  the  world.  Till  now  he  had  scarcely  been 
beyond  the  horizon  of  his  plantation  home.  Bare 
footed  and  bareheaded  he  trudged  slowly  along  the 
way  following  the  wagon.  Sharing  in  the  eagerness 
of  others  of  his  race  for  educational  enlightenment, 
he  had  not  yet  learned  the  first  letter  of  the  alphabet. 

A  long,  tedious  journey  of  weeks  brought  the 
poverty-stricken  family  to  Maiden,  West  Virginia, 
the  center  of  the  salt  and  coal  mining  region.  Bad 
as  the  domestic  conditions  had  been  on  the  plantation, 
they  were  here  even  worse.  A  temporary  shanty 


A  COMMON  LABORER  41 

standing  among  many  others,  the  abodes  of  the  miners, 
with  only  the  scantiest__com  fort,  and  with  abounding 
filth,  bad  water,  coarse  food,  a  reeking  atmosphere, 


vice  shocTong  and^pjm^jmd  plenty  .QJLhard  labor  — 
these  made  up  the  elements  of  the  new  surroundings.  V 
Here  Washington  was  to  live  and  labor  for  years  as  a 
common  workman.  He  was  duly  assigned  to  work  at 
the  salt  furnaces  along  with  a  mass  of  laboring  men, 
rising  sometimes  at  folIrnTrrtEeltnornmg  to  begin  the 
labor  of  the  dayT~Tf  waTsTHere  that  he  learned  the  first 
characters  in  the  rudiments  of  knowledge.  Each  salt- 
packer  had  his  barrels  numbered,  that  of  the  step 
father  of  Booker  was  18.  Without  knowing  the 
meaning  of  the  figure,  he  learned  to  recognize  it 
wherever  he  met  it,  and  know  that  it  meant  eighteen. 

Booker  was  not  indisposed  to  labor,  he  did  it  un-^ 
complainingly,  but  within  him  the  fire  burned  for  1 
knowledge.  To  his  ignorant  but  sympathetic  mother  1 
he  made  known  the  intensity  of  his  desire,  but  her 
consolation  was  slight,  as  she  could  only  say  to  him 
that  maybe  someday  it  would  be  better,  and  he  could 
learn  to  read.  He  had  seen  other  boys  with  spelling 
books,  and  he  craved  to  own  one  too.  By  some  means 
his  poor  mother  was  enabled  to  buy  him  one.  This 
was  a  joy  unspeakable.  He  longed  to  master  it,  but 
how?  Not  a  person  in  all  the  laboring  community 
knew  a  letter  of  the  alphabet.  He  must  seek  himself 
to  unravel  the  mysteries  of  this,  the  first  book  he  had 
ever  held  in  his  hands.  At  odd  moments  during  the 
intervals  of  labor  he  was  hard  at  work  on  his  mys 
terious  speller,  seeking  to  evoke  its  hidden  meaning. 


42   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

There  were  white  overseers  about  the  camp,  who 
doubtless  would  have  been  glad  to  help  an  aspiring  lad 
over  his  alphabetical  difficulty,  but  he  knew  but  little 
of  the  whites,  and  was  shy  of  them.  He  knew  enough 
to  know  that  a  mastery  of  the  alphabet  was  essential 
to  the  acquisition  of  the  rest,  and  by  some  means  he 
hammered  it  out  for  himself,  and  could  combine  the 
letters  into  short  syllables,  but  the  pronunciation  of 
these  he  had  to  wait  a  future  opportunity  to  learn. 

Conditions  slightly  more  favorable  came  a  little 
later.  A  colored  youth  who  found  his  way  to  Maiden 
from  Ohio,  having  had  some  advantages  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  state  was  able  to  read  with  ease. 
Among  the  miners  and  salt-packers,  this  young  man 
was  regarded  a  prodigy  because  he  could  actually  read, 
like  a  white  man.  At  the  close  of  each  day  he  was 
surrounded  by  a  group  of  eager  listeners  to  hear  him 
read  the  newspapers.  Booker  watched  him  closely, 
studied  him  with  eager  care,  and  many  a  time  left  his 
presence,  longing  to  be  able  to  read  as  did  he  and 
resolved  to  learn.  He  was  willing  to  stop  when  he 
could  do  that,  as  he  then  thought.  This  became  to  him 
a  fresh  incentive  to  his  already  intense  desire  to  have 
an  education. 

The  advent  of  this  partly-educated  youth  had  a 
stimulating  effect  on  the  community,  and  soon  there 
was  a  general  desire  for  a  school  for  the  colored 
children.  This  proved  an  entering  wedge  to  a  change 
in  the  mental  and  moral  uplift  of  that  really  depraved 
community.  But  where  was  a  teacher  to  be  had? 
Some  suggested  the  engagement  of  the  Ohio  youth, 


A  COMMON  LABORER  43 

but  he  was  too  young  to  govern  a  school,  and  that 
suggestion  was  dismissed. 

Meanwhile,  another  colored  man  from  Ohio  came 
on  the  scene.  He  was  an  ex-soldier  from  the  federal 
army,  and  in  addition  to  his  ability  to  teach,  he  had 
the  advantage  of  maturity.  He  was  employed  on  a 
slender  salary,  each  patron  paying  by  monthly  install 
ment  for  the  services  of  the  teacher.  For  two  reasons 
it  was  deemed  wise  that  he  should  "  board  around  " — 
that  is,  by  turns,  spend  one  night  with  each  of  the 
patrons.  It  was  thought  that  it  would  arouse  the 
people  from  their  lethargy  of  degraded  existence,  to 
have  a  person  of  advanced  culture  in  their  homes,  and 
that  thereby  he  would  be  the  better  able  to  afford  aid 
to  the  pupils  in  their  studies.  The  list  of  homes  was 
duly  made  out  for  the  teacher's  visitation,  the  school 
was  opened,  and  the  round  of  visits  begun.  "  Teacher's 
day  "  became  an  event  in  each  home  in  the  community. 
There  was  every  preparation  to  make  his  visit  a 
pleasant  one.  For  once,  the  squalid  surroundings  were 
cleared  up,  the  house  was  put  in  as  perfect  order  as 
possible,  and  all  the  domestic  arrangements  underwent 
a  reformation.  The  result  was  a  gradual  change  in 
the  squalid  community.  People  found  that  conditions 
could  be  improved,  they  liked  it  better  than  the  original 
circumstances,  and  the  place  gradually  began  to  change, 
and  the  people  to  improve  in  every  way.  These  little 
things  were  a  turning  point  in  that  community,  which 
now  started  upgrade. 

Similar  changes  were  beginning  to  take  place  else 
where  among  the  colored  people  of  the  South.  As 


44   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

yet,  no  provisions  had  been  made  in  the  South  for 
a  public  school  system.  In  truth,  the  country  was  a 
scene  of  general  desolation.  Blackened  chimneys 
stood  sentinel  over  the  ruins  of  many  towns  and  cities. 
In  many  instances,  farms  were  still  as  they  had  been 
left  by  the  tramping  armies.  The  struggle  on  the  part 
of  all  alike  was  for  a  livelihood.  The  one-armed 
soldier  was  at  work  in  the  fields,  and  the  once  wealthy 
land  barons  were  concerned  about  making  ends  meet. 
A  great  industrial  system  had  suddenly  collapsed  into 
a  common  crash  of  ruin,  and  the  people  were  in  per 
plexity.  Besides  all  this,  an  ex-slave  population  of 
millions  was  adrift,  restless,  ignorant,  aimless,  home 
less,  and  leaderless.  Conditions  were  chaotic. 

On  its  own  initiation,  the  freed  race  began  to  found 
schools — to  found  them  in  their  ignorance.  It  was 
a  racial  grounds  well.  About  five  per  cent  of  the 
emancipated  people  could  read  and  write,  and  these 
were  not  slow  to  inject  the  spirit  into  the  rest  of  their 
people,  and  by  the  time  that  the  states  were  ready 
to  inaugurate  a  system  of  schools,  no  class  was  more 
responsive  than  the  late  slaves.  Some  of  the  former 
slaves  who  had  heard  of  colleges  and  universities,  but 
had  never  seen  either,  aspired  to  found  such  for  their 
people.  The  most  remarkable  instance  occurred  at 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  where  a  group  of  unlettered  ex- 
slaves  met  in  an  old  building  in  August  (succeeding 
the  close  of  the  war,  in  April,  1865)  and>  though 
bearing  the  marks  of  slavery  on  their  bodies,  and 
simply  knowing  that  a  university  meant  a  place  of 
learning,  took  steps  to  begin  a  school  which  gradually 


A  COMMON  LABORER  45 

developed  into  what  came  to  be  known  as  the  State 
University  of  Kentucky,  a  large  and  flourishing  col 
lege  for  colored  people  which  stands  today  in  Louis 
ville,  with  buildings  and  grounds  in  the  heart  of  that 
city.  Throughout  the  years,  from  that  early  time 
till  now,  it  has  done  excellent  work,  not  alone  for  the 
colored  race  but  for  the  commonwealth  of  Kentucky, 
and  is  still  a  great  educational  lighthouse  to  a  strug 
gling  people. 

To  this  work  of  the  race  throughout  the  South, 
these  people  were  actuated,  not  because  any  possessed 
prosperity,  for  they  were  extremely  poor,  nor  by  any 
prospective  wealth,  but  purely  in  recognition  of  the 
necessity  of  education  for  their  people  if  they  were 
to  be  able  to  cope  with  their  peculiar  difficulties,  and 
rise  in  the  scale  of  civilization.  The  money  contributed 
to  this  end,  no  matter  by  whom,  was  never  more 
worthily  given.  To  study  this  movement,  at  a  time 
so  inauspicious,  and  with  an  outlook  so  unpromising, 
is  to  see  that  the  southern  Negro,  made  over  anew 
from  his  ancestral  savagery  of  two  or  three  centuries 
before,  is  not  a  comedy  race.  In  these  beginnings  was 
the  germination  of  a  people  whose  coming  worth  and 
importance  would  challenge  the  admiration  of  the 
country  at  large,  and,  in  some  respects,  that  of  the 
civilized  world.  It  was  the  first  great  movement 
toward  a  race  awakening,  and  from  a  situation  like  this 
was  to  come  forth  a  leader  who  should  rapidly  scale 
the  heights  as  a  stimulator,  leader,  and  exemplar. 

The  matter  of  religion  had  much  to  do  with  the 
new  quickening  of  the  race  now  in  possession  of  a 


46   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

new  freedom.  Two  causes  operated  to  prompt  the 
freed  slave  of  the  South  to  an  awakening  from  mental 
lethargy.  One  of  these  was  his  impulsive  emotional 
ism  and  the  other,  the  friendlessness  of  the  situation. 
In  his  wretchedness  the  Negro  knew  God.  His  first, 
and  practically  universal  ambition  was  to  learn  to  read 
the  Bible.  Under  the  impulse  of  this  initial  passion  the 
aged  and  the  young  alike  thronged  into  the  day  school, 
the  Sunday-school,  and  the  first  rude  churches  estab 
lished  by  themselves.  That  this  so  largely  escaped  the 
attention  of  the  local  Christendom  was  due  to  the 
sway  of  the  current  passions  of  the  period.  If  the 
current  had  then  been  diverted  into  proper  channels 
conditions  in  the  South  would  doubtlessly  have  been 
marvelously  changed. 

The  ambition  of  young  Washington  had  been 
\  quietly  but  deeply  stirred  by  the  prospective  school  in 
his  community,  but  he  was  destined  to  profound  dis 
appointment.  He  had  proved  a  valuable  laborer  in  the 
manufacture  of  salt,  always  prompt,  willing,  active, 
and  reliable,  and  his  stepfather,  lured  more  by  desire 
of  gain  than  by  that  of  mental  improvement,  did  not 
share  in  the  movement  for  the  establishment  of  the 
sorely-needed  school.  He  sternly  decided  that  a  hand 
so  valuable  as  Booker  could  not  be  easily  spared  from 
the  salt  furnace.  The  gentle  mother  disclosed  this 
fact  to  the  aspiring  boy,  who  heard  it  with  bitter  and 
sullen  disappointment.  Still  he  would  not  give  up, 
nor  banish  hope.  The  old  "  blue-back  "  was  still  his 
property  and  he  would  continue  to  delve  into  its 
hidden  mysteries.  The  chagrin  experienced  was  en- 


A  COMMON  LABORER  47 

hanced  by  the  passing  by  the  furnace  each  afternoon  of 
bevies  of  gleeful  colored  boys  and  girls  on  their  way 
homeward  from  school,  while  he,  a  barefooted  and 
bareheaded  laborer,  was  toiling  at  the  hot  furnace. 
With  a  feeling  of  sadness  he  listened  to  their  cheery 
laughter,  and  envied  them  their  good  fortune. 

In  slight  amendment  of  his  disappointment,  in  which 
his  doting  mother  shared,  he  was  able  to  make  ar 
rangements  with  the  local  teacher  to  study  at  night 
after  the  toils  of  the  day  were  over;  but  even  this 
slight  pittance  of  advantage  could  not  be  had  until 
he  had  enlisted  the  persuasive  powers  of  his  mother  in 
begging  the  unfeeling  stepfather  to  grant  this  poor 
chance  to  the  boy.  By  plying  his  mother  as  a  sort 
of  mediator  between  himself  and  his  stepfather, 
Booker  was  at  last  able  to  quit  fromjiine  in  the 
morning  till  four  in  the  afternoon  in  order  to  study 
at  the  local  school.  This  advantage,  however,  was 
gained  at  the  cost  of  unusual  exaction.  He  had  to  be 
out  of  bed  at  four  in  order  to  hurry  away  to  the  kilns; 
laboring  there  till  nine  o'clock,  he  would  then  scamper 
away  to  the  distant  school.  Though  the  advantage 
gained  was  in  part  penal  for  his  persistency,  he  would 
turn  it  to  the  greatest  possible  account. 

An  incident  which  occurred  in  this  connection  is  as 
amusing  as  it  was  pathetic.  In  his  overweening  desire 
to  learn,  he  wished  to  gain  all  the  time  possible,  and 
in  a  conflict  between  his  ambition  and  his  conscience, 
he  thought  of  turning  forward  the  hands  of  the  big 
clock  in  the  office  by  which  the  affairs  of  the  industry 
were  guided.  Having  done  this  several  mornings,  by 


48   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

thus  gaining  additional  time,  it  was  found  that  the 
clock  was  running  awry  and  the  work  was  disturbed  in 
consequence.  Seeing  that  the  clock  had  either  been 
tinkered  with  or  was  running  irregularly,  the  super 
intendent  locked  it  away,  and  depended  on  his  watch 
for  future  guidance.  Casuists  must  determine  how 
much  moral  turpitude  was  involved  in  the  doubtful 
act  of  the  aspiring  stripling. 

On  entering  school,  Booker,  by  which  name  alone 
he  had  been  known,  must  enroll  his  full  name.  He 
had  learned  from  some  source  of  a  great  man  named 
Washington,  and  he  thought  of  calling  himself  Booker 
Washington,  but  he  felt  that  he  must,  of  course,  have 
a  middle  name,  so  he  injected  that  of  Taliaferro.  He 
thus  gave  his  full  name  as  Booker  Taliaferro  Wash 
ington,  by  which  he  was  afterward  known  through 
out  the  world. 

Another  incident  occurred  in  this  connection  which, 
though  trifling  enough  in  itself,  indicated  the  character 
of  the  Negro  youth.  He  had  never  worn  a  hat  or 
a  cap,  and  was  the  only  pupil  who  went  to  school  bare 
headed.  This  was  a  source  of  embarrassment,  and  he 
laid  his  case  before  his  mother,  who  told  him  that  she 
had  no  money  with  which  to  buy  a  hat,  nor  had  she 
any  prospect  of  getting  any.  Still  the  lad  persisted, 
and  to  satisfy  him  she  managed  to  get  hold  of  a 
small  bit  of  jeans  cloth,  sewing  the  sides  together 
somewhat  in  the  shape  of  a  cap.  She  placed  it  on  the 
head  of  the  proud  possessor,  and  the  difficulty  was 
solved. 

Not  a  moment  was  lost  by  the  youth  in  his  applica- 


A  COMMON  LABORER  49 

tion  to  his  books,  but  his  privileges,  small  as  they  were, 
were  soon  cut  off  by  his  stepfather.  To  this  sudden 
deprivation  he  regretfully  submitted,  and  went  into 
the  mines  as  a  common  miner.  However  he  clung  to 
his  books,  and  engaged  the  service  of  a  teacher  who 
agreed  to  give  an  hour  or  two  of  private  instruction 
at  night.  Hurrying  to  the  completion  of  his  assigned 
task  in  the  mines,  he  would  bathe,  snatch  a  hasty 
supper  which  his  kind  mother  would  always  have  in 
readiness,  shift  his  clothes,  and  hasten  to  meet  his 
teacher  some  miles  away,  remain  as  long  as  possible, 
return  to  his  hard  bunk,  and  by  four  in  the  morning 
resume  his  tasks.  The  spirit  of  hope  so  characteristic 
of  his  race  never  forsook  him  during  those  days  of. 
gloom,  and  he  still  cherished  the  belief  that  he  would 
find  a  way  to  procure  an  education. 

In  the  resounding  caverns  voices  are  easily  heard, 
and  one  day  while  the  youth  was  plying  his  pick,  he 
overheard  the  conversation  of  two  colored  miners. 
They  were  discussing  the  matter  of  Negro  education, 
and  Booker  overheard  an  allusion  to  a  school  where 
black  youths  could  work  their  way  through.  Extin 
guishing  the  lamp  in  his  cap,  he  crept  through  the 
gloom  toward  the  miners  in  order  to  hear  more  clearly. 
Neither  of  the  conversers  knew  just  where  it  was,  but 
the  name  of  the  school  was  Hampton.  This  gave 
fresh  hope  to  the  toiling  lad.  He  would  seek  it  till 
he  should  find  it.  He  hid  the  information  in  his  heart, 
and  resolved  to  reach  Hampton,  no  matter  where  it 
was. 

In  his  eager  search  for  the  desired  information,  he 


50   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

learned  that  the  school  was  in  distant  Virginia,  but 
this  did  not  affect  either  his  zeal  or  his  purpose.  He 
bent  all  his  energies  toward  the  attainment  of  his 
cherished  hope.  He  presented  the  matter  to  his  elder 
brother,  John,  and  the  proposal  was  made  by  the 
brother  that  he  would  assist  the  younger  as  far  as  he 
was  able,  with  the  understanding  that  when  Bookei 
should  complete  his  studies  he  would,  in  turn,  assisl 
the  older  brother.  To  that  devoted  brother  Bookei 
was  largely  indebted  for  his  ability  to  go  to  Hampton, 
John  would  deny  himself  much  in  order  to  enable  the 
younger  to  get  through,  and  he  was  willing  to  wail 
and  labor  till  this  could  be  consummated.  The  agree 
ment  was  finally  carried  out,  and  though  the  elder 
brother  was  eclipsed  by  the  splendor  of  the  younger, 
he  became  in  future  years  a  valuable  ally  to  Bookei 
in  his  struggles  at  Tuskegee. 

Captivated  by  the  new  prospect  of  the  gratification 
of  his  ambition,  toil  to  the  youthful  Booker  now  bo- 
came  sweet.  He  had  visions  of  coming  success  as  an 
educated  man,  for  beyond  the  attainment  of  an  educa 
tion  he  did  not  yet  consider.  A  perennial  optimism 
possessed  him,  and  unpromising  as  the  outlook  was  in 
his  poverty,  he  was  cheered  by  the  hope  of  one  day  be 
ing  able  to  reach  Hampton.  True  to  the  principle  by 
which  he  was  actuated  through  life,  he  would  still  labor 
on,  hope  on,  and  do  well  the  tasks  assigned  him.  "  Seesl 
thou  a  man  diligent  in  his  business?  He  shall  stand 
before  kings,  he  shall  not  stand  before  mean  men." 


IV 
HAMPTON   INSTITUTE 

A  DISTINCT  purpose  was  now  before  Wash 
ington.  He  kept  up  his  random  studies  as 
best  he  could,  and  meanwhile  continued  to 
learn  what  he  could  of  Hampton.  Besides  talking  it 
over  with  his  brother,  he  spoke  to  his  mother  of  his 
plans,  but  she  had  little  encouragement  to  offer,  save 
to  say  that  she  was  willing  to  do  anything  for  the 
interest  of  her  children.  He  was  reminded  of  their 
extreme  poverty  and  of  the  slight  prospect  of  im 
provement.  Still  the  lad  believed  that  a  way  would  yet 
be  opened  for  him  to  go.  One  thought  encouraged 
him — he  had  learned  that  at  Hampton  any  worthy 
colored  youth  would  be  allowed  to  work  his  way 
through,  and  he  was  neither  too  proud  nor  indisposed 
to  labor.  He  thought  not  of  the  expenses  that  would 
be  incurred  by  his  stay  there,  but  was  sure  that  if  he 
could  ever  reach  the  school,  he  would  find  a  way 
of  pushing  himself  through.  This  philosophic  dis 
position  characterized  the  life  of  Washington  through 
out.  He  would  make  good  the  present  as  the  surest 
means  of  future  success. 

In  seeking  to  devise  means  for  reaching  Hampton 
he  decided  to  apply  for  a  position  as  a  servant  in  the 
home  of  the  owner  of  the  mines,  General  Ruffner, 


52   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

whose  wife  was  from  Vermont,  and  had  the  reputa 
tion  of  being  difficult  to  please.  Servants  had  been 
frequently  dismissed  by  her,  some  having  been  turned 
off  after  remaining  but  a  short  while.  However, 
Booker  was  sure  he  could  please  her,  and  sent  his 
mother  to  solicit  the  job.  The  result  was  that  he  was 
engaged  on  trial  at  five  dollars  a  week.  He  appeared 
before  Mrs.  RufTner  with  fear  and  trembling,  and 
was  at  once  set  to  work.  He  no  more  closely  studied 
his  work  than  he  did  his  new  mistress.  Perfectly 
docile  and  polite,  he  sought  to  satisfy  her  in  every 
minute  particular.  He  resolved  to  give  the  fullest 
satisfaction,  and  succeeded.  Mrs.  Ruffner  was  very 
exacting,  but  to  this  the  boy  did  not  object,  and  in 
subsequent  years  he  reverted  to  his  experience  and 
training  in  the  Ruffner  home  as  elements  of  his  suc 
cess.  Among  the  requirements  was  that  of  being 
scrupulously  frank  and  honest.  The  exactions  im 
posed  were  right,  in  every  particular,  whether  of 
service  or  of  character,  and  Booker  felt  that  no  one 
could  object  to  being  right  and  doing  right.  To  the 
youth,  unused  to  the  demands  of  cultivated  life,  the 
drill  and  discipline  of  that  home  were  a  blessing. 

For  about  eighteen  months  Washington  remained 
in  the  home  of  the  Ruffners  and  without  the  slightest 
difficulty.  Mrs.  Ruffner  sympathized  with  his  plans 
for  the  future  and  allowed  him  a  few  hours  each  day 
to  attend  school,  after  his  tasks  were  done.  Finally 
she  permitted  him  to  employ  a  tutor  to  come  on  the 
premises  each  day  to  hear  his  recitations. 

Having  saved  a  small  amount,   Washington   re* 


HAMPTON  INSTITUTE  53 

solved  in  the  fall  of  1872  to  go  to  Hampton.  He  was 
encouraged  by  the  demonstrations  of  his  people,  most 
of  whom  seemed  anxious  to  aid  him  in  his  worthy 
endeavor  by  giving  him  small  sums  of  money,  and 
wearing  apparel.  But  his  chief  reliance  was  his  brother. 
After  all,  he  had  not  sufficient  funds  to  defray  his 
expenses  for  the  five  hundred  miles  to  Hampton,  but 
even  with  an  inadequate  amount,  he  determined  to 
start. 

With  a  small  cheap  satchel  containing  all  that  was 
his,  Washington  set  forth  toward  Hampton,  and  soon 
learned  that  his  money  was  altogether  insufficient  for 
the  trip.  The  railway  fare  was  five  cents  a  mile,  and 
the  expenses  were  increased  by  reason  of  the  fact  that 
at  certain  points  along  the  way  he  had  to  travel  by 
coach,  which  was  much  more  expensive.  But  he 
decided  to  go  as  far  as  he  could,  and  rely  on  the 
conditions  of  each  juncture  to  provide  for  the  fu 
ture. 

Having  reached  the  limit  of  the  railway  from  Mai 
den  in  the  direction  of  Richmond,  he  took  the  stage 
over  the  mountains,  being  the  only  colored  passenger 
on  the  coach.  When  the  coach  reached  a  wayside  inn 
for  the  night,  the  inn-keeper  denied  him  food 
and  lodging,  even  in  an  out-house.  He  was  hungry, 
and  the  mountain  air  was  cold,  but  there  was  nothing 
left  to  do  but  to  tramp  up  and  down  the  road  through 
out  the  night  to  keep  warm. 

Thence  to  Richmond  the  trip  was  attended  by  mucK 
'difficulty.  His  purse  was  now  empty,  and  he  was 
forced,  when  he  could  do  so,  to  beg  a  ride  on  the 


54      LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

train;  again  he  would  walk  or  else  ride  on  vehicles 
that  chanced  to  overtake  him  as  he  plodded  his  way. 
Richmond  was  reached  at  night,  and  without  a  cent 
in  his  pocket  he  ventured  into  the  city.  His  condition 
was  well-nigh  desperate.  He  had  never  before  been 
in  a  city  of  any  consequence,  he  was  a  total  stranger, 
unused  to  the  city  ways,  was  hungry,  worn,  travel- 
soiled,  and  depressed.  With  his  little  satchel  he 
tramped  up  and  down  the  streets,  and  in  his  extreme 
hunger  was  tantalized  by  the  piles  of  bread,  pies, 
cakes,  and  fruits  at  the  stands  along  the  way. 

At  a  late  hour  of  the  night,  overcome  by  fatigue, 
he  slipped  unobserved  under  an  elevated  plank  walk 
on  the  street,  and,  cold  and  hungry,  pillowed  his  head 
on  his  satchel,  and  slept,  though  disturbed  throughout 
the  night  by  the  passers  above  his  head.  Creeping 
from  his  place  of  rest  in  the  early  morning,  his  first 
thought  was  to  find  some  employment  as  a  means  to 
relieve  his  hunger,  and  to  enable  him  to  prosecute  his 
trip  onward  to  Hampton,  still  about  eighty-five  miles 
further  on.  Fortunately  he  found  men  unloading  a 
vessel  of  pig  iron,  and  applied  to  the  manager  for 
work.  He  was  gladly  engaged,  and  by  this  means 
not  only  relieved  his  immediate  wants  but  was  able 
to  make  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  reach  Hampton. 

Without  further  delay  he  went  on,  reaching  his 
destination  with  just  fifty  cents  in  his  pocket.  A 
fresh  dilemma  now  confronted  him.  The  first  step  in 
the  fulfillment  of  his  ambition  had  been  taken.  But 
he  was  without  means,  in  a  strange  place,  where  no 
one  knew  him,  and  where  he  must  rely  on  his  wits  for 


HAMPTON  INSTITUTE  55 

future  guidance.  It  was  a  crisis  to  the  raw  youth 
from  the  country. 

Summoning  all  his  courage,  he  went  with  the  rest 
of  the  newly-arrived  students  to  the  office  of  regis 
tration.  When  his  turn  came  the  registrar  scanned 
him.  He  had  a  bland  face,  was  courteous  and  polite, 
but  dirty  and  forbidding  in  appearance.  A  question 
or  two  was  asked,  but  there  was  some  hesitation  on  the 
part  of  the  registrar,  and  Booker  was  not  permitted 
to  enroll  as  were  the  others,  but  told  to  stand  aside 
for  the  present.  All  the  other  applicants  being  dis 
posed  of,  the  registrar  gave  him  a  broom,  a  dusting 
brush,  and  some  cloths,  and  told  him  to  clean  a  certain 
room.  He  fell  to  his  work,  sweeping,  dusting,  and 
scrubbing  the  surface  not  alone  of  the  floor,  but  of 
every  piece  of  furniture,  the  blinds,  sills,  and  walls. 
The  task  completed,  he  again  reported  to  the  registrar 
and  invited  inspection.  She  subjected  the  room  to  the 
most  rigid  examination,  using  even  her  cambric  hand 
kerchief  to  test  the  thoroughness  of  the  cleansing. 
This  over,  Booker  was  permitted  to  enroll.  Better 
still,  the  proficiency  shown  in  clearing  up  the  room 
led  to  his  appointment  as  janitor,  by  means  of 
which  he  was  able  to  wrork  his  way  through  the 
session. 

Washington  could  desire  nothing  better  than  this 
unexpected  turn  of  affairs.  There  were  yet  other 
embarrassing  considerations,  such  as  provision  for 
clothing  and  books,  to  say  nothing  of  numerous 
incidentals,  but  he  would  meet  each  emergency 
as  it  should  arise.  In  these  incidents  was  afforded 


56   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

the  index  of  the  leader  that  he  was  to  become  in 
the  extrication  of  his  people  from  distress.  His  con 
fidence,  coolness,  and  sanity,  readiness  to  lay  under 
tribute  whatever  was  within  sight  that  would  conduce 
to  success,  temperamental  equableness,  force  of  will, 
high  ideals,  and  contentment  for  the  time  with  the 
best  that  could  be  had,  were  remarkable  qualities  that 
stamped  the  embryonic  leader.  Difficulty  he  expected, 
but  he  was  ready  to  meet  it  as  it  came,  was  willing  to 
stoop  to  necessity  in  order  to  conquer — in  these  lay 
the  germs  of  future  greatness  alike  of  soul,  mind, 
and  heart. 

If  Washington's  difficulties  had  only  begun,  the  way 
to  success  was  also  open.  The  resources  of  his  man 
hood  would  now  be  called  into  active  play,  and  the 
conditions  were  to  be  such  as  would  result  in  the 
expansion  of  his  many-sidedness.  Along  with  the 
struggle  for  mental  development  would  be  that  of  his 
character  in  the  wrestle  with  forces  in  the  contest  for 
success.  His  mastery  of  difficulty  here  would  be 
prophetic  of  his  ability  to  grapple  with  the  herculean 
obstructions  which  lay  far  in  the  future.  The  stamp 
of  destiny  was  on  him,  though  he  now  saw  no  farther 
than  the  demands  of  the  stern  present.  He  was 
actuated  by  one  consuming  ambition,  that  of  procuring 
an  education,  but  in  accomplishing  this,  in  his  fierce 
struggles  with  penury,  he  was  doing  far  more.  His 
moral  fiber  was  developed  side  by  side  with  his  gradual 
mental  improvement.  The  enforced  conditions  of 
severe  labor  and  frugality  to  which  the  youth  was 
subjected  at  Hampton,  would  have  been  regarded  by 


HAMPTON  INSTITUTE  57 

many,  even  of  his  own  race,  as  beneath  the  position  of 
a  student  at  college;  rather  than  undergo  them,  many 
would  have  rebelled.  But  lowliness  is  essential  to 
loftiness. 

"  Lowliness  is  the  base  of  every  virtue, 
And  he  who  goes  the  lowest,  builds  the  safest" 

At  this  time  the  odds  were  greatly  against  the 
colored  youth.  He  might  have  sullenly  pined,  and  in 
despair  have  said :  "  Where's  the  use,  I  am  only  a 
Negro."  A  view  like  this  might  have  been  at  the 
time  abundantly  justified,  but  no  obstructions  moved 
him  from  his  original  purpose  and  plans.  He  would 
let  the  future  take  care  of  itself.  The  success  of  the 
present  was  to  him  sufficient  for  the  time,  and  to 
make  that  secure  would  be  a  guarantee  of  future  suc 
cess.  This  was  his  abiding  motto  through  life,  as  was 
abundantly  illustrated  later  during  his  struggles  at 
Tuskegee. 

The  work  of  the  janitorship  was  heavy  and  exact 
ing.  Often  he  might  have  been  seen  panting  from  his 
excessive  labor,  with  his  broom  resting  against  him, 
mopping  the  perspiration  from  his  face,  while  there 
was  the  pressing  demand  for  preparation  for  the  class 
room;  but  he  was  confident  that  he  could  master  the 
difficulty  in  some  way.  Reduced  to  the  extreme  of 
poverty,  he  had  to  make  every  possible  makeshift  in 
order  to  make  ends  meet.  He  had  but  one  suit,  which 
was  often  soiled  by  labor  and  yet  it  had  to  be  clean  for 
inspection  each  day.  An  only  pair  of  hose  had  to 


58      LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

undergo  a  daily  laundering  at  his  hands.  Unable  to 
buy  books,  he  must  borrow  from  such  students  as  were 
willing  to  lend.  The  lot  of  no  one  could  have  been 
harder. 

To  the  rough  youth  from  the  plantation  and  the  coal 
mines,  who  had  never  known  comfort,  the  conditions 
at  Hampton  were  extremely  odd.  Neither  on  the 
plantation  nor  at  the  mines  had  he  ever  slept  in  a  bed. 
A  hard  bunk  or  a  pallet  of  rough  straw  had  been  his 
bed  from  babyhood.  Even  stated  hours  for  meals 
were  to  him  a  novelty.  Knives,  forks,  and  spoons  he 
now  used  for  the  first  time.  Sleeping  between  sheets 
was  to  him  at  first  amusing  and  seemingly  unnecessary. 
The  great  buildings,  large  and  commanding,  with 
their  various  departments,  were  to  the  raw  youth 
astonishing.  But  every  scene  was  one  of  inspiration. 
Not  a  waking  hour  was  to  be  lost.  The  double  task 
of  the  janitorship  and  preparation  for  the  classroom, 
was  daily  his.  He  was  possessed  of  the  ambition  both 
to  hold  his  place  in  his  classes  and  to  perform  his  work 
of  drudgery  well.  Others  might  find  time  for  recrea 
tion  on  the  playgrounds,  or  lounging  on  the  seats  under 
the  shade  trees,  but  he  must  continue  his  work,  either 
with  his  books  or  his  brooms  and  brushes.  Still  he 
never  repined,  but  wrought  with  a  spirit  of  cheerful 
ness  throughout. 

His  thought  was  all  the  while  engrossed  with  the 
concern  of  duty  well  done.  There  was  never  cessation 
of  work,  but  to  this  he  was  inured  by  past  experiences, 
and  no  temptation  could  lure  him  to  negligence.  The 
labor  performed  was  enormous,  but  he  was  able  to  do 


HAMPTON  INSTITUTE  59 

it.  Throughout  he  was  quiet  and  reserved,  never  ob 
truding  himself  on  the  attention  of  any,  but  uniformly 
courteous  and  polite,  and  by  this  course  he  won  his  way 
to  favor,  not  only  of  the  students,  but  of  the  officers 
of  the  school.  Best  of  all  he  attracted  the  attention 
of  the  faculty.  It  was  seen  that  in  the  uncouth  stripling 
there  was  an  element  of  rareness.  His  exact  com 
pliance  with  duty,  of  whatever  character,  first  won 
attention  and  then  sympathy.  He  was  dutiful  above 
most  others,  unceasing  in  labor,  intent  on  cleanliness, 
and  so  studious  withal,  that  teachers  began  to  aid  him 
by  gifts  of  small  sums  of  money  and  by  special 
personal  assistance.  It  did  not  escape  the  attention  of 
the  teachers  that  this  unusual  and  exceptional  student 
was  embarrassed  by  his  engrossed  attention  to  that 
only  suit  of  his.  It  was  duly  observed  how  embar 
rassed  he  was  to  preserve  his  outfit  from  inevitable 
threadbareness,  and  at  the  same  time  subject  it  to  con 
stant  scrubbing  and  cleansing.  It  was  a  conflict  be 
tween  two  practical  laws,  the  perplexity  of  which  he 
could  not  well  master. 

There  was  one  element  in  the  character  of  young 
Washington  which  is  perhaps  the  most  exceptional  and 
indispensable  one  to  success  of  any,  and  that  is, 
subordination  to  authority.  This  he  yielded,  not  from 
policy,  nor  with  sullen  reluctance,  but  readily,  from 
a  sense  of  duty.  One  of  the  most  comprehensive  of 
the  virtues,  when  this  obtains,  it  compasses  other  and 
lesser  virtues.  Where  prompt  obedience  to  authority 
is  merely  mechanical  and  is  rendered  for  temporary 
advantage  only,  with  the  spirit  of  proper  subordination 


60   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

absent,  one  becomes  insincere,  sordid,  shriveled;  but 
where  it  is  accepted  as  unquestionably  right,  and 
obedience  is  rendered  in  exact  proportion  to  require 
ment,  the  character  necessarily  expands  in  nobleness. 
Had  there  been  no  other  element  in  this  young  Negro, 
that  one  was  a  sure  guarantee  of  success. 

Immense  was  the  gain  made  by  Booker  T.  Wash 
ington  when  he  attracted  the  attention  of  General 
Samuel  C.  Armstrong,  the  Principal  of  the  Institute. 
General  Armstrong  had  been  an  officer  in  the  federal 
army,  and  he  applied  the  rules  of  the  camp,  in  many 
particulars,  to  the  management  of  the  school.  In 
founding  the  institution,  he  had  promptly  recognized 
the  necessity  of  rigid  discipline  in  molding  and  shaping 
the  leaders  of  the  colored  race  as  it  then  was.  Laxness, 
slovenliness,  indifference,  he  would  not  tolerate,  and 
he  was  the  more  determined  to  exact  their  opposites 
at  that  time,  than  he  might  otherwise  have  been.  It 
was  the  first  school  of  that  character  established  for 
the  race  in  the  South,  and  he  would  set  a  pace  for  the 
future.  In  addition  to  his  military  exactness  were  his 
profound  kindness  and  disinterestedness.  In  him  were 
blended  just  the  qualities  needed  for  an  important 
initial  venture  like  the  one  at  Hampton.  Born  the  son 
of  a  missionary  to  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  he  inherited 
in  rich  measure  the  evangelistic  spirit  of  his  parents. 
Graduated  from  Williams  College,  in  1862,  he  be 
came  a  member  of  the  I25th  regiment  of  New  York 
Volunteers,  where  he  rose  from  the  rank  of  captain 
to  that  of  colonel.  Later  he  commanded  a  colored 
regiment,  won  distinction  for  gallantry,  and  when 


HAMPTON  INSTITUTE  61 

mustered  out  of  service  it  was  with  the  rank  of  brevet 
brigadier-general. 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  an  immense  population  of 
blacks,  wandering  and  aimless,  gathered  in  Hampton, 
and  General  Armstrong  was  impressed  with  the  im 
portance  of  founding  a  school  there,  to  meet  the  im 
mediate  and  future  needs  of  this  unfortunate  people. 
Enamored  of  the  enterprise  from  the  beginning,  he 
gave  his  life  to  the  task.  Far  too  little  is  known  of 
this  pioneer  hero  in  a  cause  so  timely.  Whatever  may 
have  been  thought  of  him  at  that  time,  General  Arm 
strong  was  a  benefactor  to  the  entire  South.  The 
results  of  his  labors  have  been  reaped  in  all  the  states 
of  the  South  in  the  equipped  men  and  women  whom 
he  sent  out  as  torch-bearers  to  a  benighted  people. 
Gallant  as  General  Armstrong  was  on  the  field,  he 
was  braver  to  assume  a  task  like  this  and  at  a  time  like 
that.  He  was  emphatically  a  benefactor  alike  to  both 
races.  Facing  the  fiercest  passion  at  the  time,  he 
calmly  wrought  and  nobly  achieved.  Fortunately  time 
has  so  toned  passion  that  today  he  is  regarded  some 
what  in  proportion  to  his  just  desert. 

Brought  into  interested  contact  with  the  raw  but 
unusually  promising  colored  youth  from  West  Vir 
ginia,  General  Armstrong  thenceforth  became  increas 
ingly  interested  in  him.  A  man  of  affairs,  a  student 
of  character,  and  favored  with  wide  observation,  he 
was  much  impressed  by  the  struggles  and  sacrifices  of 
young  Washington,  whose  exceptional  spirit  became  a 
source  of  hopeful  inspiration  to  this  pioneer  race- 
lifter.  He  quite  understood  how  easy  it  was  to  delude 


62   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

those  unsuspecting  young  people  with  a  thin  veneer 
of  education,  and  he  was  resolved  on  the  rigid  exaction 
of  duties  that  related  to  the  fundamental  necessities  of 
the  black  people  in  their  outset  on  life.  He  studied 
with  rigid  incisiveness  those  of  the  colored  boys  and 
girls  who  gave  promise  of  future  leadership,  and, 
often  subjected  them  to  tests  of  which  they  were  un 
aware.  Washington  did  not  know  at  the  time,  that 
General  Armstrong  had  discovered  in  him  unusual 
qualities,  and  that  he  was  keeping  a  close  watch  on 
his  conduct  in  order  to  the  future  usefulness  of  the 
young  man.  But  General  Armstrong  was  the  force 
behind  the  successive  stages  of  Washington's  future 
career. 


THE  GENIUS  OF  HAMPTON  INSTITUTE 

THE  interest  organized  and  fostered  by  General 
Armstrong  at  Hampton,  was  wisely  adjusted 
to  the  principal  needs  of  the  colored  race. 
Nothing  could  have  been  more  sanely  conceived,  nor 
more  properly  and  wisely  conducted.  The  school  was 
not  merely  for  the  training  of  the  minds  of  the  young. 
The  mere  development  of  the  minds  of  the  colored 
youth  at  that  time,  would  have  resulted  in  top-heavi 
ness  and  lop-sidedness.  So  far  from  rendering  prac 
tical  service  to  these  people  then,  it  would  have  more 
unfitted  them  for  adjustment  to  the  practical  affairs  of 
life.  Not  mind  alone  was  sought  to  be  developed  at 
Hampton,  but  character,  as  well.  This  was  the  com 
plement  of  the  purpose  of  this  Christian  philanthro 
pist  in  giving  his  life  to  the  service  of  these  people. 
They  needed  proper  formation  of  character,  right 
views  of  life,  the  full  meaning  of  duty,  and  a  just 
appreciation  of  manhood  and  of  womanhood.  In  or 
der  to  such  attainment,  General  Armstrong  intro 
duced  into  the  school  the  regulations  of  the  camp. 

Nor  was  this  sufficient,  for  the  exercise  of  the  gen 
tler  virtues  was  just  as  essential  to  the  full  accom 
plishment  of  the  purpose  in  view,  as  mere  drill  and 


64   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

discipline  on  the  sterner  side.  Firmness  coupled  with 
kindness,  exactness  with  liberty,  and  patient  drill  in 
order  to  the  development  of  body,  mind,  and  char 
acter,  were  just  as  necessary  as  rigid  regulation.  It 
was  a  source  of  continued  encouragement  to  General 
Armstrong  to  see  how  readily  these  requirements  were 
complied  with  by  the  crude  elements  coming  to  the 
institution  from  the  huts  and  hovels  of  plantation 
life. 

The  standard  of  requirement  was  productive  of 
most  salutary  results.  It  produced  a  beneficent  at 
mosphere,  for  it  came  to  be  a  principle  at  Hampton 
that  one  must  not  only  be  a  recipient,  but  a  dispenser, 
as  well.  The  spirit  of  the  school  was  one  in  which 
there  was  exercised  proper  interdependence — mutu 
ality  of  help.  As  the  pioneer  leaders  of  an  unde 
veloped  race,  the  young  men  and  women  thus  fitted  at 
Hampton  would  be  able  to  erect  a  standard  of  life  for 
their  people.  From  the  time  of  his  entrance  into  the 
institution  till  his  retirement,  each  was  impressed  by 
this  principle.  He  was  helped  in  order  that  he  might, 
in  turn,  help  others. 

The  first  year  at  Hampton  had  been  passed  by 
Booker  T.  Washington.  He  had  entered  the  school 
with  the  barest  rudiments  of  technical  knowledge  and 
with  but  slight  acquaintanceship  with  the  ways  of  the 
world.  The  little  that  he  had  previously  acquired  was 
angular  and  irregular,  and  needed  to  be  brought  into 
symmetrical  shape,  and  made  consistent  with  much 
else  required  by  the  course  at  Hampton.  As  already 
seen,  he  was  beset  by  severe  difficulty  in  providing 


GENIUS  OF  HAMPTON  INSTITUTE       65 

means  of  self -maintenance  during  the  year,  but,  some 
how,  he  had  been  able  to  reach  the  close  of  the  first 
session. 

The  year  had  wrought  a  marvelous  change  in  the 
young  man.  While  none  the  less  intent  on  his  educa 
tional  purpose,  he  now  had  an  entirely  different  view 
of  its  application.  His  ideas  had  been  limited  to  the 
attainment  of  knowledge,  and  he  had  had  no  specific 
end  in  view.  To  what  he  would  devote  his  life  had 
not  occurred  to  him.  After  the  close  of  the  first  year 
at  Hampton  the  boundary  of  the  once  near  horizon 
had  been  pushed  back.  He  now  breathed  a  different 
and  purer  atmosphere,  and  things  did  not  seem  as  in 
former  days.  His  ambition  to  accomplish  the  most 
possible  in  text-books,  instead  of  being  slackened  was 
increased.  There  had  come  into  the  life  of  the  strip 
ling  new  purposes,  chief  among  which  was  the  desire 
to  acquire  qualifications  sufficient  to  enable  him  to 
aid  his  people  in  deliverance  from  their  peculiar  situa 
tion.  Just  how  this  was  to  be  done  he  did  not  know, 
but  the  study  of  their  condition  and  acquaintanceship 
with  their  needs  had  aroused  this  new  desire.  This  he 
had  received  at  Hampton. 

It  is  not  easy  to  appreciate  the  nature  of  the  diffi 
culty  involved  in  the  undertaking  of  General  Arm 
strong  and  his  associates  at  Hampton.  Only  the 
most  skilled  instructors  could  equal  the  demand  of  that 
peculiar  situation.  The  work  done  was  both  educa 
tional  and  evangelistic,  both  preparatory  and  direc 
tory.  Young  slaves  who  had  grown  to  incipient  man 
hood  and  womanhood,  in  the  presence  of  a  civilization 


66   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

in  the  benefits  of  which  they  were  only  the  slightest 
recipients,  must  be  qualified  to  enter  that  civilization 
at  an  advanced  stage.  Not  only  so,  but  as  the  van 
guard  of  their  race  in  an  anomalous  era  they  must 
be  able  to  establish  a  standard  of  life  worthy  of  a 
great  people.  To  assume  thus  the  transformation  of 
a  large  mass  of  young  ex-slaves  who  would  bring  with 
them  to  the  school  their  rude  plantation  characteristics, 
and  to  knead  this  mass  into  respectability  while  at  the 
same  time  inculcating  the  principles  by  the  exercise  of 
which  they  must  become  race-lifters,  was  a  task  worthy 
of  any  man.  The  means  by  which  this  difficult  work 
was  done  were  subtle  and  ingenious.  There  was  no 
bewailing  the  condition  of  the  colored  race  on  the 
part  of  the  teachers,  nor  any  appeal  to  the  emotional 
side  of  the  colored  pupils,  nor  yet  driveling  admoni 
tions  on  piety  and  religion.  But  the  regulations  and 
requirements  of  the  institution  were  pitched  on  a 
plane  so  high  as  to  create  a  condition  from  which 
came  the  beneficent  and  manly  spirit  which  pervaded 
Hampton  throughout. 

Everything  taught  and  done  had  reference  to  that 
which  was  expected  to  be  taken  away  from  the  in 
stitution  as  a  guide  to  future  life.  Students  were  im 
pressed  by  the  fact  that  the  advantages  which  were 
theirs  were  denied  millions  of  their  race  who  were 
altogether  as  worthy  as  themselves,  and  that  they 
must  go  to  these  as  inspirers,  lifters,  and  helpers.  It 
was  this  influence  that  had  thus  turned  the  thought 
of  young  Washington  into  a  new  channel.  It  gave 
purpose  to  life,  and  seriousness  to  work.  He  would 


GENIUS  OF  HAMPTON  INSTITUTE       67 

henceforth  meet  at  each  step  new  suggestions  of  value 
for  that  which  was  to  come. 

Right  on  the  grounds  of  the  school  there  was 
daily  exemplification  of  these  principles.  While  the 
officers  and  teachers  governed,  and  taught,  and 
rigidly  enforced  the  regulations,  they  did  so  with  an 
air  of  helpful  interest.  The  spirit  was  not  difficult  of 
inculcation,  therefore,  because  it  was  communicated 
from  every  source  of  authority  to  the  humblest  pupil 
on  the  grounds.  In  consequence  of  this,  so  thoroughly 
imbued  became  the  students  that  they  would  often 
reduce  themselves  to  straits  of  sacrifice  in  the  interest 
of  others.  Without  this,  the  poor  stranger  from  West 
Virginia  could  not  have  advanced.  As  already  stated, 
he  was  at  first  forced  to  borrow  the  books  from  which 
to  study.  He  was  the  janitor,  often  seen  with  his 
broom  on  his  shoulder  about  the  buildings  and 
grounds,  and  the  favored  treated  him  with  the  cor 
diality  of  an  equal.  Not  only  books  were  lent,  but 
small  sums  of  money  among  the  students;  the  sick 
were  cared  for  and  tenderly  nursed,  and  when  arrival 
of  fresh  installments  of  students  over-ran  the  limits 
of  accommodation,  the  students  already  settled  would 
willingly  accept  scantier  comfort  by  the  surrender  of 
their  rooms,  and  by  going  into  improvised  quarters 
of  tent  life,  till  better  arrangements  could  be  made. 
This  was  invariably  done  in  a  cordial  and  cheerful 
spirit. 

Qualities  like  these  developed  in  the  future  leaders 
of  the  race  were  destined  to  immense  effect,  in  a 
variety  of  ways.  There  was  current  at  the  time  the 


68   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

idea  that  education  would  spoil  the  Negro,  unfit  him 
for  usefulness,  and  give  him  a  sense  of  consequence 
that  would  invite  friction.  The  education  inculcated 
at  Hampton  was,  and  still  is,  a  complete  refutation  of 
this  theory,  which  is  as  groundless  as  it  is  ungracious. 
Nobody  ever  saw  a  Negro  "  spoiled  "  by  real  mental 
development  and  genuine  culture.  Harebrained  in 
dividuals  of  the  race,  there  doubtless  are.  Those  who 
mistake  a  thin  veneer  for  solid  mahogany  are  just  as 
apt  to  be  supercilious  as  the  same  class  of  any  other 
race,  and  no  more.  So  far  as  superficiality  goes,  ob 
servation  teaches  that  no  race  can  lay  claim  to  mo 
nopoly.  Most  of  the  students  who  have  gone  out 
from  Hampton,  Tuskegee,  and  other  great  colored 
schools  are  a  thorough  refutation  of  this  prejudicial 
fling. 

Washington's  painful  experiences  were  not  yet 
over.  The  close  of  the  first  session  brought  glee  to 
the  students  who  were  leaving  for  their  homes  in  the 
different  states,  but  the  youth  from  the  salt  pits  of 
West  Virginia  had  no  means  with  which  to  return  to 
his  distant  home,  and,  more,  he  had  no  means  of 
subsistence  to  be  anywhere.  Anxious  to  get  away  to 
obtain  work,  he  sought  to  sell  a  second-hand  coat  for 
three  dollars,  but  those  who  wished  his  garment  were 
unable  to  pay  for  it.  With  clatter  and  laughter,  the 
boys  and  girls  were  leaving,  the  doors  and  grounds 
of  the  school  were  closed,  and  silence  supreme  came, 
and  Washington  had  to  go  somewhere,  he  knew  not 
where. 

Finding  at  last  a  job  in  a  restaurant  at  Fortress 


GENIUS  OF  HAMPTON  INSTITUTE       69 

Monroe,  he  entered  on  his  work,  but  the  wages  were 
extremely  low,  being  slightly  more  than  enough  to. 
defray  his  cheap  board.  The  session  had  ended  at 
Hampton  with  the  encumbrance  of  a  debt  of  sixteen 
dollars  on  him,  and  this  he  was  anxious  to  cancel. 
To  him  sixteen  dollars  was  then  an  enormous  amount. 
The  debt  preyed  on  his  high  sense  of  honor,  and  to 
pay  it  was  to  him  a  consuming  desire  above  all  others. 
He  worked  hard,  scrimped,  lived  in  a  most  niggardly 
way,  did  his  own  laundrying,  went  without  needed 
clothing,  and  turned  an  honest  penny  whenever  he 
could,  but  he  could  not  get  ahead.  It  mortified  him  to 
think  of  returning  to  school  for  the  next  session  with 
indebtedness  of  the  former  session  still  unpaid,  but 
it  seemed  inevitable.  One  day  someone  inadvertently 
let  fall  under  one  of  the  tables  of  the  restaurant  a 
new,  crisp  ten-dollar  bill,  and  on  finding  it,  Washing 
ton  was  much  rejoiced;  but  he  felt  that  he  should  re 
port  it  to  the  proprietor,  as  it  was  picked  up  in  his 
place  of  business,  presuming  that  he  would  gladly  let 
him  keep  it,  but  instead,  the  owner  himself  laid  claim 
to  it  because  it  was  found  in  his  restaurant.  The  act 
of  the  proprietor  is  its  own  commentary. 

Vacation  over,  and  with  but  slight  means  in  his 
pocket,  and  the  debt  of  sixteen  dollars  still  hanging 
over  him,  Washington  wished  to  return  to  Hampton. 
He  was  humiliated,  but  not  unto  despair.  He  would 
not  give  up.  He  had  met  severer  difficulties,  and 
while  it  was  embarrassing,  he  would  face  the  situa 
tion.  After  a  frank  statement  to  the  treasurer,  and 
the  proposal  to  cancel  the  debt  by  extra  labor,  the 


70      LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

matter  was  settled,  and  he  entered  on  the  second  ses 
sion  with  increased  confidence  and  zeal.  Much  to  his 
delight  he  was  continued  in  the  chief  janitorship  of 
the  school,  than  which  he  desired  nothing  better. 
Relieved  of  some  of  the  handicaps  of  the  previous 
session  he  felt  that  he  was  now  prepared  to  do  the 
best  work  of  his  life.  There  was  no  longer  novelty 
respecting  any  feature  of  the  institution.  He  fully 
knew  what  was  expected  of  each  student,  he  had 
learned  how  to  economize  time  in  his  labors,  he  had 
acquired  fixed  habits  of  study,  and  in  spite  of  his 
poverty,  none  was  more  cheerful. 

Booker  T.  Washington  was  now  about  sixteen  years 
old,  yet  the  immature  youth  had  already  become  much 
concerned  about  the  fate  of  his  people.  His  experi 
ence  as  one  of  the  lower  class,  coupled  with  the  en 
larged  views  which  he  had  gathered  at  Hampton, 
deepened  his  solicitude,  especially  for  the  Negroes  in 
the  rural  regions  of  the  South.  The  questions  often 
arose,  "What  is  to  become  of  the  Negro,  anyway? 
Where  is  the  hope  of  subsequent  relief  ?  How  can  he 
possibly  emerge  from  the  incubus  under  which  he  is?  " 

Within  the  school  t^ere  was  no  one  more  familiar 
with  the  deep  poverty  of  the  black  man,  none  who  bet 
ter  knew  his  condition  mentally  and  materially,  and 
none  better  prepared  to  sympathize  with  him  in  his 
dejected  state.  Coextensive  with  the  growth  of  the 
thought  of  the  youth  was  that  of  sympathy  for  his 
people.  It  is  not  difficult  to  see  how,  as  a  result  of  the 
conditions  now  centering  about  and  within  the  life  of 
Booker  T.  Washington,  he  should  finally  become  the 


GENIUS  OF  HAMPTON  INSTITUTE       71 

great  race  leader.  Long  after  he  left  Hampton,  he 
made  a  published  statement  which  reveals  equally  the 
character  of  Hampton  and  the  new  purpose  which  had 
come  to  possess  him.  He  said :  "  The  education  that 
I  received  at  Hampton  out  of  the  text-books  was  but 
a  small  part  of  what  I  learned.  One  of  the  things 
which  impressed  itself  upon  me  deeply,  the  second 
year,  was  the  unselfishness  of  the  teachers.  It  was 
hard  for  me  to  understand  how  any  individuals  could 
bring  themselves  to  the  point  where  they  could  be  so 
happy  in  working  for  others.  Before  the  end  of  the 
year  I  think  I  began  learning  that  those  that  are  hap 
piest  are  those  who  do  most  for  others.  This  lesson 
I  have  tried  to  carry  with  me  ever  since." 

Notes,  or  data,  kept  by  him  at  Hampton  reveal  the 
fact  that  in  proportion  to  his  increased  fitness  for 
future  work,  grew  his  chafing  to  get  abroad  in  the 
world  that  he  might  become  somewhat  a  means  of 
helpfulness  to  others.  His  chief  concern  was  his 
mother.  She  was  long  an  overworked  slave,  and  there 
had  been  no  diminution  of  her  labors  since  the  dawn 
of  emancipation.  Indeed,  if  there  had  been  change, 
her  lot  was  the  harder  now,  since  in  her  devotion  to 
her  children  she  toiled  but  the  more  to  lift  them  to 
heights  which  she  was  destined  never  to  enjoy. 

Among  the  numerous  advantages  afforded  Wash 
ington  at  Hampton,  was  that  of  drill  in  speaking,  or 
declaiming.  He  was  highly  favored  in  having  so 
efficient  a  teacher  as  Miss  Nathalie  Lord,  of  Portland, 
Maine.  Miss  Lord  was  among  the  many  scholarly 
missionaries  who  went  South  when  colored  schools 


72   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

were  established,  to  aid  in  teaching  the  colored  popu 
lation.  Denounced  as  fanatics,  as  this  class  was  for 
years,  no  missionaries  in  the  early  days  of  Chris 
tianity  exceeded  them  in  devoutness  of  spirit,  loftiness 
of  purpose,  and  the  amount  of  needed  service  ren 
dered.  Washington  aspired  to  become  a  public 
speaker,  for  which  he  had  peculiar  gifts.  The  ease  of 
manner  and  quiet  poise  which  so  distinguished  him 
later  before  large  audiences  throughout  the  country, 
as  well  as  the  thoroughly  modulated  voice,  with  pene 
trating  power,  were  the  results  of  his  cultivation  at 
Hampton. 

At  the  close  of  the  second  session  of  school,  Wash 
ington  found  himself  able  to  return  to  his  home  at 
Maiden.  This  coming  back  to  his  former  haunts 
among  the  salt  kilns  and  coal  mines  was  the  occasion 
of  a  mild  sensation  among  his  people.  Two  years 
before  he  had  left  them  a  rough,  unhewn  stripling; 
he  had  developed  much  physically,  and  otherwise  was 
vastly  improved.  He  returned  the  cordial  greetings 
of  his  old-time  friends  who  alluded  to  him  with  pride 
as  "  our  boy."  In  the  rough  hospitality  so  generously 
extended,  he  joined  appreciatingly ;  each  home  would 
assert  a  special  claim  for  a  given  night  when  he  was 
to  come  and  tell  of  the  ups  and  downs  of  his  experi 
ences  since  he  went  away.  The  colored  people  have  a 
peculiar  passion  for  public  speaking,  especially  by  one 
of  their  own  number.  So  Washington  must  be  heard 
again  and  yet  again,  the  attention  being  the  more 
riveted  since  they  recalled  him  as  an  urchin  of  former 
years  going  in  and  out  among  them  bareheaded  and 


GENIUS  OF  HAMPTON  INSTITUTE        73 

barefooted.  Sunday-schools,  churches,  and  impro 
vised  special  occasions  afforded  to  him  the  amplest  op 
portunity  for  public  speaking. 

While  all  this  was  gratifying  to  the  young  man,  he 
had  an  eye  to  business.  He  wanted  work.  The  sum 
mer  was  slipping  past,  and  he  had  yet  another  year  to 
complete  his  course  at  Hampton,  and  that  meant 
money.  But  no  employment  could  be  had.  A  strike 
was  prevailing,  the  furnaces  no  longer  smoked,  nor 
was  the  pick  active  in  the  mines.  While  away  for  a 
day  from  home,  he  received  the  news  of  the  death 
of  his  mother. 

Among  the  characteristics  of  the  colored  race  may 
be  named  as  one  of  the  most  dominant  that  of  the  de 
votion  of  the  Negro  mother  to  her  children.  One 
must  know  the  race  to  be  able  to  appreciate  this  art 
less  and  unaffected  love.  Were  she  a  mother  of  any 
other  race  than  that  of  the  Negro,  her  singular  devo 
tion  would  find  expression  in  "  the  flower-crowned 
annals  of  song."  The  abiding  tradition  of  the  "  old 
black  Mammy "  in  the  records  of  the  South  is  an 
illustration  of  the  supreme  tenderness  of  the  affection 
of  the  colored  woman  for  the  young.  The  old 
"  Mammy "  is  immortalized  by  reason  of  her  vital 
touch  with  the  children  of  a  dominant  race,  but  that 
affection  is  only  an  index  of  that  which  she  bears  for 
her  own  children.  The  world  has  yet  to  come  to  a 
proper  appreciation  of  the  value  of  Negro  motherhood 
in  the  promotion  of  the  good  of  their  children.  Thou 
sands  slavishly  labor  at  the  washtub,  in  the  field,  and 
in  various  household  functions,  often  in  the  most 


74-      LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

menial  ways,  simply  to  advance  the  condition  of  their 
children.  As  men  like  Booker  Washington  have 
risen  from  disadvantage  of  race,  and  from  deep  ob 
scurity  to  prominence,  they  have  never  lost  sight  of 
the  fact  that  their  mothers  were  the  chief  and  primary 
causes  of  their  success. 

The  vacation  was  going  past  and  rapidly;  a  month 
was  already  spent,  and  Washington  could  still  find  no 
employment.  At  last,  Mrs.  Ruffner,  who  had  kindly 
united  in  the  salutations  to  her  former  servant-boy, 
gave  him  temporary  employment,  after  which  a  distant 
coal  mine  enabled  him  to  find  additional  work.  In  all 
his  varied  experiences  and  needs,  Booker  Washing 
ton  never  failed  to  find  an  abiding  friend  and  cordial 
helper  in  his  brother,  John,  and  never  did  he  cease 
telling  of  that  brother  and  of  his  unstinted  kindness  to 
a  brother  whom  he  found  pride  in  aiding.  In  the 
discovery  of  the  dawning  greatness  of  the  one,  the 
other  was  willing  to  sink  himself  out  of  view  in  his 
disinterested  assistance. 

With  the  odds  against  him,  it  seemed  at  one  time 
during  the  summer  vacation,  that  Washington  would 
have  to  give  up  all  hope  of  returning  the  following 
session  to  Hampton.  But  the  unselfish  brother  John 
came  again  to  his  rescue,  dividing  with  him  his  scanty 
wardrobe,  and,  by  supplementing  the  slender  con 
tents  of  Booker's  purse,  enabled  him  to  see  the  way 
open  again  to  Hampton,  for  the  last  year. 

Fortunately,  several  weeks  before  the  session  was 
to  open,  Washington  received  a  letter  from  Miss 
Mackie,  the  white  lady  principal,  the  same  who  on 


GENIUS  OF  HAMPTON  INSTITUTE       75 

Booker's  application  to  enter  Hampton  gave  him  a 
broom  and  dusting-brush  to  test  him,  as  there  was 
nothing  in  his  personal  appearance  at  the  time  to  com 
mend  him.  This  lady  wrote  him  to  come  on  several 
weeks  in  advance  of  the  opening  of  the  session,  to  aid 
her  in  getting  the  buildings  and  grounds  in  shape.  This 
was  a  fortunate  rift  in  the  gloom.  The  labor  meant 
an  advanced  balance  in  the  college  treasury  at  Hamp 
ton.  At  the  appointed  time  he  was  on  hand  with 
cheerful  spirit,  ready  to  do  the  bidding  of  the  lady 
principal,  and  so  he  entered  on  his  last  year  at  Hamp 
ton. 

Though  a  senior,  Washington  was  still  the  janitor, 
working  his  way  as  he  had  done  from  the  first.  By 
this  time,  his  merits  as  a  student  as  well  as  a  janitor 
had  come  to  be  fully  recognized.  He  was  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  laborious  of  the  students.  He  had 
a  strong,  well-knit  frame,  was  inured  from  child 
hood  to  hard  service,  possessed  an  equable  temper, 
never  fretting  nor  chafing,  was  ambitious  and  untir 
ing;  he  absorbed  suggestions  and  hints  from  all  his 
surroundings,  was  careful  in  the  mastery  of  every  de 
tail  of  school  work,  whether  of  his  books  or  in  the  serv 
ice  rendered  as  janitor,  found  an  abiding  pleasure  in 
cleanliness  and  neatness  of  person,  had  a  growing 
consciousness  of  his  forces  without  show  of  vanity  or 
of  arrogance,  was  notably  courteous  to  all  alike,  and 
among  the  pupils  was  regarded  as  an  ideal  student. 
In  the  student  body  he  came  to  be  recognized  more 
than  any  other,  as  the  readiest  man  for  all  occasions 
and  special  events.  Everyone  trusted  him  for  his 


76   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

sterling  integrity,  and  with  all,  both  among  faculty 
and  students,  he  was  popular  because  of  his  uniform' 
temperament,  affableness,  and  jocularity^ 

To  special  students  in  the  graduating  class  there 
were  accorded  certain  honors,  one  of  which  was  the 
distinction  of  delivering  graduating  addresses.  This 
distinction  he  coveted,  but  it  was  based  on  merit  of 
scholarship.  Yet  in  spite  of  all  handicaps,  he  won  the 
coveted  honor,  and  was  graduated  in  June,  1875. 

By  dint  of  hard  labor,  both  manually  and  mentally, 
Washington  had  reaped  the  honors  he  had  so  long  de 
sired.  Added  to  his  mental  acquirements  was  a  fund 
of  practical  knowledge  rarely  possessed  by  anyone  on 
quitting  college.  He  had  often  struck  the  hard  sides 
of  life,  but  was  the  stronger  and  the  better  therefor. 
He  was  just  now  budding  into  manhood.  A  severe 
strain  of  life  of  which  he  now  little  dreamed  was  be 
fore  him.  The  commission  to  leadership  of  a  race  of 
millions  had  not  yet  been  given  him,  but  the  forces 
were  accumulating  in  his  character  and  flowing  into 
his  life,  and  in  due  time  an  effectual  door  of  oppor 
tunity  was  opened. 


VI 
VENTURES  INTO  THE  WORLD 

A  NEGRO  graduate  in  the  South  at  the  period  of 
the  retirement  of  Washington  from  Hampton, 
was  not  hailed  with  an  ovation.  Race  aver 
sion  was  at  its  height,  and  Negro  merit  was  not  only 
discounted,  it  was  discredited,  especially  in  the  sphere 
of  scholarship.  The  more  meritorious  he  might  be 
for  scholarship  the  more  pretentious  was  he  consid 
ered.  The  times  were  altogether  unfavorable  to  the 
educated  Negro.  A  colored  man  was  accounted 
"  good  "  in  proportion  to  his  conformity  to  the  old- 
time  requirements  of  slavery.  One  was  "  a  good 
Negro  "  if  he  suffered  the  imposition  of  heavy  tasks 
with  slight  compensation,  and  would  submit  to 
any  disposition  without  protest.  At  this  time,  too, 
colored  schools  were  regarded  with  suspicion,  serv 
ants  were  poorly  paid,  and  the  common  laborer  among 
the  blacks  was  often  mercilessly  swindled. 

These  were  some  of  the  conditions  extant  in  18 
when  Booker  T.  Washington  graduated  from  Hamp 
ton.  It  was  the  period  of  reconstruction,  of  which  to 
read  only  is  to  gain  but  a  slight  idea  of  its  terrors.  It 
was  more  aptly  the  period  of  the  victimized  Negro. 
Like  a  shuttle  in  a  loom  he  was  tossed  to  and  fro  be 
tween  the  two  classes  of  contending  whites,  and  it 

77 


78   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

would  be  difficult  to  decide  which  was  the  stronger, 
the  antipathy  of  one  class,  or  the  passion  for  spoils  on 
the  part  of  the  other.  Between  them,  however,  the 
Negro  was  the  victim.  Being  suddenly  invested  with 
the  franchise  of  the  significance  of  which  millions  of 
the  race  knew  nothing,  the  occasion  was  seized  on  by 
a  host  of  harpies,  in  the  contribution  to  which  both 
the  North  and  the  South  shared,  and  the  period  was 
turned  to  the  sad  and  lasting  detriment  of  the  Negro. 
From  sordid  selfishness,  one  class  would  incite  to 
undue  assertion  the  innocent  and  ignorant  black  man; 
this  would  often  be  fiercely  and  violently  resented, 
and  while  the  instigators  would  skulk  in  safety  the 
misguided  colored  man  was  made  to  suffer  indescrib 
ably.  Vengeance  and  violence  ruled  the  hour  and 
turbulence  and  terror  filled  the  land.  There  seemed  no 
possibility  of  relief,  none  of  race  adjustment  when 
both  races  were  suffering,  none  of  calmness  and  of 
conservatism.  The  times  were  out  of  joint,  race  rela 
tion  was  distraught.  Only  to  show  the  peculiar  times 
in  which  Booker  T.  Washington  began  his  career 
after  quitting  school,  is  this  dreadful  period  of  re 
construction  recalled  in  this  connection.  It  would 
have  seemed  impossible  for  a  colored  man  even  mea 
surably  to  accomplish  that  which  he  achieved  within 
the -next  few  years.  Least  of  all  would  a  Negro,  at 
the  time,  have  been  thought  of  as  one  who  could  con 
tribute  to  the  solution  of  the  tangled  racial  conditions 
of  the  period. 

With  a  keener  insight  into  the  situation  as  he  neared 
manhood,  Washington  saw  but  little  to  cheer,  anc} 


VENTURES  INTO  THE  WORLD          79 

but  slight  chance  for  the  Negro.  No  freedom  of 
utterance  was  the  black  man's,  no  protest  could  he 
raise,  no  matter  what  the  imposition;  and  with  hostile 
passion  so  prevalent,  with  the  easy  versatility  of  man 
kind  in  the  mass  existing,  the  Negro  seemed  doomed. 
When  he  came  out  from  college  into  the  world, 
he  started  back  in  horror  to  learn  of  some  of  the 
atrocities  perpetrated  on  his  people.  The  intensity  of 
the  passion  of  the  time  was  such  that  even  the  latent 
white  friends  of  the  Negro,  thousands  of  whom  were 
bound  by  traditional  ties  to  the  one-time  slaves,  dared 
not  lift  a  finger  or  raise  a  voice  in  protest  lest  the 
blows  fall  on  their  heads.  It  was  a  time  like  this  when 
the  future  race-deliverer  left  Hampton  with  his 
diploma. 

Washington  entered  on  life  as  he  had  several  years 
ago  entered  school — without  a  dime  in  his  pocket.  It 
had  been  a  struggle  with  him  since  first  he  had  felt 
a  rising  ambition  to  accomplish  something  of  worth. 
He  was  now  somewhat  ready  for  the  rough  encount 
ers  of  the  world,  but  he  was  balked  by  existing  con 
ditions.  There  was  not  the  slightest  encouragement 
in  any  direction.  But  he  must  be  engaged  in  some 
thing.  He  was  not  above  the  most  menial  service  if 
only  an  opportunity  would  offer  for  work.  It  was  the 
dull  season,  and  he  thought  of  some  watering  resort 
where  he  might  find  employment  for  the  time.  Un 
able  to  find  work  in  the  South  he  sought  the  East,  and 
at  a  fashionable  summer  resort  in  Connecticut,  he 
engaged  to  serve  as  a  waiter  in  a  hotel.  The  work 
was  new  and  untried,  and  he  was  awkward  in  his  new 


80      LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

vocation.  The  fashionable  ones  at  a  certain  table  as 
signed  him, 'were  severe  in  their  denunciation  of  his 
deficiency,  and  he  fled  the  dining-room  from  sheer 
fear.  He  willingly  accepted  a  subordinate  place  as 
dish-carrier,  for  this  he  could  do,  while  learning  the 
ways  of  the  resort  and  acquiring  from  observation 
that  which  made  a  successful  waiter.  When  he  found 
that  he  could  successfully  move  in  the  groove  required, 
he  again  assumed  the  role  of  waiter  with  decided 
success. 

The  season  over,  Washington  accepted  the  position 
of  teacher  at  his  old  home  at  Maiden.  This  was  the 
same  school  which  he  attended  in  former  years  as  a 
barefoot  and  bareheaded  boy,  and  from  which  he  was 
so  suddenly  and  ruthlessly  withdrawn  by  an  igno 
rant  and  unsympathetic  stepfather  and  assigned  to 
work  in  the  mines.  While  the  school  had  grown  in 
size,  its  character  was  not  changed.  Inefficient  teach 
ers  had  been  unable  to  classify  the  motley  group 
ranging  in  age  from  the  smallest  child  to  matured  men 
.  and  women,  so  that  the  first  care  of  the  new  teacher 
was  that  of  the  reconstruction  and  classification  of 
the  school,  and  his  next,  that  of  the  personal  condi 
tion  of  each.  The  pupils  were  generally  indifferently 
clad,  and  wore  their  clothes  in  a  bungling  way;  there 
was  a  demand  for  much  soap  and  water  to  be  applied 
to  their  persons,  their  teeth  had  never  known  a  brush, 
their  hair  never  a  comb  or  brush,  their  shoes  were 
shabby  and  often  stringless  or  untied,  and  there  was 
work  for  the  young  civilizer  as  well  as  for  the  teacher. 

A  brief  time  was  all  that  was  necessary  to  bring  intc 


VENTURES  INTO  THE  WORLD  81 

the  schoolroom  a  complete  transformation.  There 
came  a  pride  to  each  pupil  as  was  shown  by  a  neater 
appearance,  the  boys  now  wearing  cravats,  and  the 
girls  with  rosebuds  or  bits  of  ribbon  in  their  hair;  the 
books  were  no  longer  soiled,  the  floor  was  kept  clean, 
order  and  quietude  came  to  possess  the  school,  and 
thus  Maiden  became  a  dim  index  of  future  Tuskegee. 
The  home  life  of  the  community  was  also  changed. 
Whitewash  was  given  the  fences  and  the  humble 
homes  of  the  black  people,  flowers  were  planted  about 
the  little  homes,  and  other  signs  of  improvement  were 
evident.  If  the  schoolmaster  was  abroad,  so  was  the 
civilizer  and  reformer.  With  kindly  aid  the  young 
teacher  was  here  and  there,  with  advice  and  sympa 
thetic  interest.  Backward  students  were  sought  out  in 
their  homes  at  night  and  helped  over  difficulties,  an 
occasional  old  man  or  woman  who  wanted  to  learn 
to  read,  was  aided,  the  sick  were  visited  and  cared 
for,  and  wherever  there  was  needed  service  that  he 
could  render,  it  was  given.  The  Hampton  ideals  were 
equaled  as  far -as  practicable,  and  the  colored  popula 
tion  of  Maiden  was  undergoing  a  great  change. 

This  was  the  first  opportunity  afforded  him  for 
giving  expression  to  the  sentiments  cherished  while 
he  was  a  student  at  Hampton.  Much  of  the  colored 
population  in  the  region  of  Maiden  was  degraded,  as 
a  result  of  the  mining  operations  of  the  section,  and 
thus  a  sphere  sufficient  to  enlist  all  the  forces  of 
thought,  time,  and  energy  of  the  young  civilizer  was 
afforded. 

The  condition  here  witnessed  suggested  to  Wash- 


82      LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

ington  the  comprehensive  needs  of  his  people  every 
where.  That  which  he  saw  in  the  neighborhood  of 
his  original  home  was  necessarily  true  of  the  condi 
tion  of  the  colored  people  throughout  the  country.  If 
by  the  infusion  of  even  slight  aid  the  spirit  of  the  peo 
ple  could  be  aroused,  as  was  shown  at  Maiden,  what 
might  be  the  result  of  a  general  movement  of  the 
kind?  He  found  the  people  encouragingly  receptive 
and  responsive,  and  if  a  system  could  be  devised  by 
means  of  which  the  masses  of  the  blacks  could  be 
reached,  the  most  wholesome  and  salutary  results 
would  follow. 

He  appreciated  the  fact  of  the  existence  of  serious 
difficulties.  There  was  a  sentiment  altogether  unfa 
vorable  to  Negro  development.  The  common  estimate 
of  the  whites  throughout  much  of  the  South,  con 
cerning  the  Negro,  was  quite  low.  The  result  of  the 
reaction  of  this  spirit  largely  disheartened  the  Negro, 
often  demoralized  him,  and  had  not  a  little  to  do  with 
depressing  him  toward  the  straits  of  criminality. 

The  opposition  to  the  Negro  at  this  time  was  en 
hanced  by  the  appearance  of  certain  pretentious  pub 
lications  which  appealed  to  the  worst  passions  of  the 
time  to  the  financial  advantage  of  the  authors  of  these 
notorious  effusions.  The  earliest  of  these  to  appear 
was  called  "  Ariel,"  and  it  proposed  to  show  that  the 
Negro  was  the  serpent  that  beguiled  Eve.  By  ridicu 
lous  assumption  and  a  pretense  of  scholarship  this 
small  but  bitter  pamphlet  appealed  to  race  prejudice 
at  a  time  when  it  was  most  sensitive,  much  to  the 
detriment  of  the  ignorant  Negro.  "  Ariel "  was 


VENTURES  INTO  THE  WORLD  83 

equaled  in  its  preposterousness  by  still  another 
pamphlet  which  soon  after  appeared  under  the  title, 
"  The  Negro  a  Beast."  The  title  indicates  its  char 
acter,  and  equally  its  sole  design.  While  for  some 
reasons  these  are  unworthy  of  respectful  notice,  they 
are  now  recalled  in  connection  with  that  particular 
period  in  order  to  show  the  temper  of  the  times. 
These  worthless  and  absurd  publications,  while  ridi 
culed  by  the  thoughtful,  had  the  effect  of  generating 
passion  in  the  most  inflammable  element  of  the  whites. 

Then  came  the  period  of  the  Ku  Klux  Klan,  and 
whatever  merit  may  attach  to  the  claim  that  this  or 
ganization  was  necessary  in  order,  in  popular  parlance, 
"  to  keep  the  Negro  in  his  place,"  certain  it  is  that  it 
was  diverted  to  much  abuse,  by  unworthy  persons 
employing  it  for  reasons  of  violence  against  the  former 
slave.  Such  was  the  awe  and  sense  of  insecurity  in 
certain  quarters  of  the  South  that  no  Negro  knew 
when  he  might  become  a  victim.  Whatever  else  may 
be  said  of  the  work  or  purpose  of  this  organization, 
it  left  in  its  wake  the  recrudescence  of  savagery  known 
as  mobocracy. 

The  peculiar  elements  entering  into  this  period  are 
recalled  in  order  to  indicate  the  inauspiciousness  of 
the  time  for  the  entrance  of  a  young  ex-slave  on  the 
work  of  race  reformation.  The  two  races,  the  whites 
and  blacks,  were  cloven  asunder  in  mutual  distrustful- 
ness,  and  any  point  of  racial  contact  seemed  most 
remote.  Nor  was  it  yet  contemplated  by  Washing 
ton  that  he  would  undertake  other  work  than  that  he 
was  doing  at  Maiden.  His  work,  first  of  all,  had  to  be 


84      LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

fundamental  and  adjusted  to  the  conditions  then  pre 
vailing.    No  one  had  yet  appeared  who  was  able  even 
.  to  indicate  what  the  preparatory  work  for  these  peo 
ple  could  be.     It  was  widely  hinted  at,  at  Hampton, 
but  a  Hampton  could  not  be  located  in  every  com 
munity,  and  there  must  be  means  found  for  the  dis 
semination   of   the  wholesome  principles   there   sug- 
\     gested.     Hampton  suggested  the  principles,  but  the 
-    application  of  these  to  the  millions  scattered  through 
\  many  states  was  not  so  easy.    This  way  was  yet  to  be 
discovered.     The  ex-slaves  had  to  be  taught  certain 
rudimentary  elements  of  civilization,  without  the  pos 
session  of  which  they  could  not  begin  the  upward 
climb  of  racehood. 

Not  least  among  these  was  that  of  the  essential 
meaning  of  an  education.  Generally  speaking,  they 
had  emerged  from  slavery  a  grossly  ignorant  mass  of 
humanity.  In  slavery  their  ignorance  was  accounted 
as  one  of  the  indispensable  adjuncts  to  service  and  use 
fulness.  For  them  to  have  learned  the  history  of 
their  servitude  and  of  the  efforts  made  by  the  aboli 
tionists  to  procure  their  freedom,  would  have  engen 
dered  restlessness  and  perhaps  revolution.  The  sole 
security  of  slavery  was,  therefore,  dismal  ignorance. 
In  order  to  this,  means  of  information  must  not  only 
be  withheld,  but  the  heaviest  penalties  imposed  by 
law  on  any  who  dared  to  give  them  instruction.  Here 
was  encountered  the  same  difficulty  as  that  encount 
ered  by  the  Moravians,  who  were  the  first  to  give  the 
gospel  to  the  Negro,  when  their  missionaries  went  to 
the  West  Indies,  For  teaching  the  gospel  to  the  igno- 


VENTURES  INTO  THE  WORLD  85 

rant  black  laborers  on  the  sugar  plantations  of  the 
Indies,  the  two  original  missionaries,  Dober  and 
Nitzschmann,  were  imprisoned.  William  Carey  met 
the  same  obstruction  as  a  missionary  to  India,  when 
from  motives  entirely  mercenary  the  British  East  In 
dia  Company  sought  to  suppress  him  in  his  efforts  to 
^evangelize  the  people.  This  was  the  condition  in 
which  the  emancipated  man  of  the  states  of  the  South 
emerged  from  servitude. 

His  original  idea  of  education  did  not  exceed  that  of 
personal  satisfaction.  Beyond  that  he  did  not  at  first 
peer,  for  he  was  incapable  of  doing  so.  He  had  to  be 
taught  that  education  was  a  means  to  a  useful  end. 
Happily  he  was  eager  to  learn,  but  it  was  that  he  might 
read  the  newspapers  and  the  Bible.  There  was  a  time 
when  even  Booker  Washington  placed  no  higher  esti 
mate  on  the  acquisition  of  knowledge  than  just  this.  In 
dependent  of  wise  and  progressive  leadership,  the  race 
must  have  remained  in  this  condition.  But  the  leader 
was  in  process  of  preparation,  and  from  the  gathered 
store  of  suggestion  from  Hampton,  he  was  already 
beginning  to  apply  at  Maiden  the  principles  there 
gained.  That  which  he  later  achieved  was  only  a  vast 
expansion  of  the  embryonic  efforts  which  he  made 
in  the  little  town  in  the  Kanawha  Valley.  He  had  to 
teach  his  people  that  in  the  ultimate  outreach  of  an 
acquired  education  the  object  was  one  of  race  and  of 
world-wide  beneficence. 

The  other  necessary  element  of  civilization,  the 
knowledge  of  which  the  freedmen  of  the  South  had  to 
acquire  before  the  race  could  fairly  start  on  its  ascent, 


86   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

was  the  meaning  of  a  home  and  of  home  life.  In 
estimating  the  progress  made  by  the  Negro  since  his 
freedom,  but  slight  notice  is  accorded  to  that  of  his 
rapidly-improved  idea  of  home  life;  yet  it  is  one  of 
the  highest  evidences  of  his  advancement.  At  his 
emancipation  the  ex-slave  was  practically  without  the 
idea  of  familyhood.  Proverbially  affectionate  as  the 
black  race  is,  as  shown  by  its  loyalty  and  devotion,  this 
sense  of  home-life  had  been  made  to  suffer  in  slavery 
along  with  the  debasement  of  all  other  virtues.  The 
germ  had  to  be  touched  into  vitality,  and  as  it  sprang 
into  life,  it  had  to  be  directed.  The  slave  knew  noth 
ing  of  real  home-life.  The  elements  which  enter  into 
that  life,  unity  as  well  as  diversity,  the  tenderness  of 
care,  the  love  of  the  old  place  called  home,  the  dis 
cipline  of  parents,  the  variety  of  affection  among  the 
different  members  of  the  home,  and  all  else  that  really 
constitutes  home-life,  were  practically  unknown  to 
him.  He  had  no  home.  He  had  an  abiding-place 
which  to  him  was  much  like  the  perch  of  the  fowls,  or 
the  barn  to  the  home-coming  brute  at  the  close  of  day. 
That  was  not  a  home  where  the  chief  elements  of  fur 
niture  were  a  hard  bunk  or  two  for  a  household,  a 
few  backless  stools,  or  inverted  boxes  on  which  the 
tired  slave  could  sit.  Nor  was  it  a  home  where  the 
family  might  at  any  day  be  dismembered  by  the  sale 
of  the  parents  or  the  children,  occasioning  sometimes 
such  separations  that  the  families  were  never  again 
united.  One  of  the  primary  essentials  of  the  ex- 
slave  was  that  of  learning  the  meaning  of  home. 
The  proverbial  fondness  of  the  Negro  for  early 


VENTURES  INTO  THE  WORLD  87 

and  sacred  associations  invested  the  little  cabin  home 
on  the  old  plantation,  and  the  burial  place  of  his  dead 
in  the  little  clump  of  trees  hard  by,  with  a  reverence 
that  was  remarkable,  but  it  was  not  because  of  the 
joy  of  home-life  there  experienced,  but  rather  because 
of  sad  memories.  The  idea  of  home  had  first  to  be 
generated  among  the  emancipated  blacks,  then  would 
follow  the  thought  of  making  it  comfortable  and  at 
tractive.  How  readily  this  could  be  done  was  illus 
trated  to  Washington  at  Maiden.  Realizing  the  moral 
influence  of  the  ownership  of  a  home  and  of  lands,  he 
continued  through  life  to  urge  this  upon  his  people. 
-He -insisted,  and  rightly,  tliat  a  landless  people  are  a 
4e^endQnJt«4ieople;  and  that  the  Negro,  in  order  to  rise 
in  the  scale  of  excellence,  must  own  his  home  and 
farm.  By  thus  combining  the  two  essential  ideas  of 
home  and  the  true  meaning  of  education,  the  Negro 
was  ready  to  enter  on  civilized  life,  and  not  till  then. 
For  generations  he  had  been  living  within  full  view 
of  civilization,  had  gazed  on  it  as  an  idle  spectator, 
without  the  opportunity  of  appropriating  it,  but  now 
that  the  opportunity  was  his,  the  coming  leader  saw 
that  without  proper  training  the  race  would  continue 
its  vague  blundering.  To  the  extent  of  his  opportu 
nity,  he  was  demonstrating  his  idea  at  Maiden. 

It  will  be  readily  seen  how  stupendous  was  the  task 
that  awaited  Washington  within  the  next  few  years. 
The  race  was  in  confusion.  Some  white  teachers  and 
missionaries  had  come  southward  to  enlighten  the  late 
slave,  but  they  were  without  the  advantage  of  under 
standing  the  Negro  in  his  depressed  condition,  and 


88       LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

while  their  service  was  valuable,  only  one  who  had 
been  through  the  tribulations  from  slavery  all  the  way, 
was  able  to  weld  the  race  into  symmetry  of  sentiment 
and  of  life.  Hence  Washington  was  raised  up. 

The  conception  of  real  life  derived  by  Booker  T. 
Washington,  at  Hampton,  was  a  revelation,  for,  as 
Lessing  says,  "  Revelation  is  education  coming  to  the 
human  race."  It  is  just  as  true  that  education  is 
revelation.  These  cardinal  ideas,  once  possessed, 
would  put  the  race  into  the  way  of  procuring  other 
acquisitions  relative  to  the  true  life  of  a  home  and  a 
true  conception  of  life. 

Washington  had  no  patience  with  the  Negro  pos 
sessed  of  an  assumed  sense  of  personal  consequence 
and  importance,  with  nothing  else  to  indicate  it  than  a 
flashy  cravat,  glazed  shoes,  a  jaunty  hat,  a  long  coat, 
and  a  cigarette.  Himself  intensely  practical,  he  sought 
to  impress  this  lesson  on  all  others  of  his  race,  and  to 
this  end  labored  till  the  summons  came  at  last.  This 
led  him,  whether  in  his  instruction  in  the  classroom, 
on  the  platform,  in  the  council,  or  as  a  visitor  in  the 
homes  of  his  people,  to  dispel  certain  erroneous  no 
tions  which  came  early  to  possess  so  many  members  of 
his  race.  His  work  was  many-sided.  Though  him 
self  not  a  minister,  he  often  found  it  necessary  to  dis 
sipate  the  ideas  of  many  who  claimed  to  have  a  cer 
tain  mysterious  "  call  "  to  preach,  which,  especially  in 
the  early  stages  of  freedom,  sought  expression  in  a 
stentorian  roar,  stamping  the  floor  with  the  feet,  and 
frantic  and  frenzied  action.  With  unsparing  criticism 
he  attacked  this  and  much  else,  in  his  own  inimitable 


VENTURES  INTO  THE  WORLD  89 

way,  and  exposed  its  folly.  His  example  as  a  public 
speaker,  calm,  poised,  self-possessed,  simple,  logical, 
and  direct,  set  a  pace  which  subdued  much  of  the  ex 
travagance  of  the  clerical  tyros  of  his  people. 

At  Maiden  his  sphere  was  limited,  but  then  he  was 
quite  young.  With  him  as  with  every  other  genuine 
teacher,  while  he  taught  others  he  was  really  learning 
more  than  they.  Numerous  were  the  erroneous  tend 
encies  checked  by  this  chosen  leader.  That  which 
was  his,  he  imparted,  and  so  practical  and  timely  was 
his  wisdom,  and  so  aptly  expressed  in  every  way,  that 
he  was  heeded.  He  never  ceased  to  urge  that  knowl 
edge  is  an  acquisition  to  be  practically  wielded,  as 
one  would  use  an  instrument  or  an  implement.  To 
have  and  not  to  use  was  clearly  an  abuse.  Thus  he 
regarded  with  contempt  those  of  his  race  who  were 
pedantic,  and  who,  in  disregard  of  the  essentials  of 
their  own  tongue,  strove  for  a  mere  smattering  of 
the  ancient  classics  in  order  to  excite  the  wonder  of 
the  ignorant,  recalling  the  quaint  lines  of  the  English 
poet: 

"For  many  a  lad  returns  from  school, 
A  Latin,  Greek,  and  Hebrew  fool; 
In  arts  and  knowledge  still  a  block, 
Though  deeply  skilled  in  hie,  haec,  hoc." 

It  was  not  that  Washington  undervalued  a  knowl 
edge  of  the  classics,  for  he  highly  prized  it,  and  re-  \ 
joiced  in  meeting  a  really  learned  black  man,  but 
superficiality  coupled  with  assumption  he  profoundly 
despised  and  stoutly  opposed.  His  risibles  were  now 
and  then  aroused  by  meeting  one  of  his  race  with  a 


90   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

scholastic  veneer  and  a  superficial  varnish  smeared 
over  an  ignorant  surface.  He  regarded  with  sincere 
pity  men  of  his  race  who  in  the  misguided  period  of 
reconstruction  were  raised  to  positions  for  which  they 
were  not  qualified,  and  who,  in  subsequent  years,  bore 
their  original  official  titles  while  performing  the  most 
\  menial  service. 

From  all  distorted  notions  he  sought  to  divert  the 
attention  of  his  people,  and  in  order  to  save  them 
from  the  misconceptions  of  life  he  would  insist  that 
\  each  begin  at  the  lowest  rung  of  the  ladder,  and  ascend 
\is  rapidly  as  he  might.  He  sought  to  show  that  there 
was  no  nigh-cut  in  education  for  anyone,  and  certainly 
not  for  the  Negro,  and  that  merit  would  be  as  readily 
recognized  by  those  whose  judgment  was  worthy,  for 
the  genuinely  deserving  colored  man,  as  for  any  other. 
In  substantiation  of  this  view  he  would  point  to  men 
like  Senator  B.  K.  Bruce,  of  Mississippi,  an  acknowl 
edged  statesman;  to  Henry  O.  Tanner,  the  great 
American  painter,  and  to  Paul  Laurence  Dunbar,  the 
bard  of  the  Negro  race,  all  of  whom  received  recog 
nition  because  none  could  deny  their  claims.  Men 
like  these  were  frequently  pointed  out  by  Washing 
ton  as  ornaments  of  the  race,  men  who  would  be 
prized  by  any  people,  because  of  their  genuine  value. 


VII 
IN  THE  VESTIBULE  OF  HIS  LIFE  WORK 

WITHIN  the  narrow  compass  of  the  small  work 
done  by  Washington  at  Maiden,  we  see  the 
blossom  which  was  prophetic  of  the  coming 
fruit.  The  magnitude  of  that  which  was  there  done 
is  not  to  be  measured  by  its  restricted  limitations  so 
much  as  by  its  predictive  significance.  He  was  seek 
ing  to  do  nothing  great,  and  he  did  not,  at  Maiden, 
only  as  that  done  related  itself  to  his  future  career. 
Maiden  was  Tuskegee  in  embryo.  He  infused  his 
spirit  into  not  a  few  of  his  own  race  there,  fitting  a 
number  for  entrance  at  Hampton,  among  whom  were 
his  devoted  brother  John  and  another  of  his  brothers. 
The  vision  of  service  had  been  caught  at  Hampton, 
and  in  a  modest  and  most  unpretentious  way,  he  was 
conforming  to  that  vision  in  this  his  earliest  effort. 
Each  step  upward  threw  back  the  horizon  and  widened 
the  prospect.  At  the  time,  he  was  not  aware  that  he 
had  found  the  clew  which,  when  followed,  would  lead 
to  the  heart  of  the  chief  difficulty  by  which  his  people 
were  encumbered.  Hitherto  the  clew  had  not  been  dis 
covered,  nor  by  anyone  even  remotely  suggested.  Re 
garding  the  situation  generally  from  without,  and 
casually,  the  wisest  and  best  thought  of  it  only  as  a 
"  problem." 

91 


92   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

By  the  sudden  turn  of  the  wheel  of  revolution  a 
vast  jumble  of  incoherent  elements  had  ensued,  pre 
senting  a  spectacle  to  civilization  such  as  the  world 
had  never  before  seen.  The  situation  was  one  not 
only  tremendously  novel,  it  was  overwhelmingly  per 
plexing.  If  the  race  recently  freed  was  confronted 
by  difficulty,  no  less  so  was  the  dominant  white  race. 
The  freedmen  were  in  the  South  in  massed  millions. 
What  was  to  be  done  with  them?  To  expel  them, 
even  if  such  a  thing  were  possible,  would  be  to  cut 
the  chief  artery  of  labor,  without  which  the  lands  of 
fabulous  fertility  would  fall  into  desuetude,  and  the 
multiplied  needs  of  service  would  go.  Yet  to  retain 
them  in  their  present  condition  meant  perpetual  fric 
tion  between  the  upper  and  nether  millstones  of  so 
ciety. 

The  thought  of  bringing  to  the  South  an  element  of 
labor  imported  from  abroad  was  sometimes  suggested 
as  a  means  of  relief,  and  measures  looking  to  that 
end  had  been  introduced  into  some  of  the  legislative 
bodies  of  the  Southern  states.  But  so  far  from  a 
step  like  this  leading  toward  solution,  it  would  only 
result  in  the  aggravation  of  conditions,  for  then  there 
would  be  introduced  an  additional  element  of  discord 
and  friction.  This  was  the  view  from  one  side  of  a 
most  serious  situation. 

From  the  side  of  the  emancipated  blacks  it  was 
equally  as  bad,  if  not  worse.  The  Negro  was  poor  and 
ignorant,  rough,  and  in  his  present  state  had  no  place 
in  life.  He  was  eager  to  learn,  but  there  were  no 
facilities  for  instruction,  and  the  belief  was  prevalent 


HIS  LIFE  WORK  93 

among  the  whites  that  increased  enlightenment  would 
mean  decreased  efficiency.  He  was  without  training  in 
the  new  sphere  of  independence,  and  without  judg 
ment.  Some  points  of  sympathetic  contact  with  his 
former  owner  existed,  but  they  were  not  of  a  character 
that  conduced  to  general  race  elevation.  They  were 
more  of  pity  than  of  substantial  and  enduring  helpful 
ness.  Pity  is  generally  a  most  commendable  virtue; 
but  in  this  instance,  as  applied  to  the  liberated  black 
race  of  the  South,  it  tended  to  contempt  and  humilia 
tion,  and  this,  in  turn,  to  degeneration. 

In  brief  statement,  this  was  the  bi-racial  condition 
in  the  South  at  the  time  now  under  review.  It  gave 
birth  to  the  expressions,  "  The  Negro  Question  "  and 
"  The  Race  Problem,"  the  very  utterance  of  either 
of  which  in  almost  any  circle  would  awaken  prejudice 
and  suggest  perplexity  which  boded  no  good  to  the 
recently  emancipated.  How  were  the  difficulties  which 
embarrassed  the  situation  to  be  removed?  This  was 
the  ominous  question  of  the  hour.  Its  answer  lay  in 
the  womb  of  the  future.  Years  must  be  required  to 
answer  it. 

Meanwhile  a  former  slave  boy,  an  agency  least  sug 
gested  to  any,  was  being  gradually  equipped  to  press 
the  solution  to  the  front.  He  no  more  conceived  it 
then,  nor  even  remotely  conjectured  it,  than  any  other. 
Providence  is  full  of  surprises.  A  solution  equally 
acceptable  to  the  members  of  both  races  and,  at  the 
same  time,  commending  the  Negro  race,  would  remove 
much  serious  misapprehension.  While  doing  this 
would  not  entirely  remove  racial  hostility,  it  would 


94   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

so  effectually  tone  into  soberness  the  tension  of  public 
sentiment  that  an  attitude  of  thoughtful  consideration 
would  follow.  A  new  sentiment  would  have,  first  of 
all,  to  be  brought  about  and  so  far  as  then  appeared, 
there  was  no  one  to  do  this.  Conciliation  must  be 
had  before  consideration. 

As  has  already  been  shown,  it  was  not  possible,  at 
the  time,  for  a  Southern  white  friend  of  the  colored 
race  to  espouse  its  cause,  even  had  one  been  so  dis 
posed;  for  had  one  lifted  a  voice  or  raised  a  finger  in 
behalf  of  the  Negro  he  would  have  found  public  senti 
ment  very  much  opposed  to  the  step,  and  would  have 
invited  only  railing  outcries  from  the  seething  vehe 
mence  then  prevalent.  At  the  same  time,  it  would  have 
been  thought  more  impossible  for  one  who  had  been 
a  slave  to  do  this.  But  there  was  coming  about  a 
means  which  would  eventually  find  expression.  God 
hid  his  power  in  a  young  colored  man  and  set  him  for 
ward  to  give  expression  to  the  solution. 

To  resume,  now,  the  narrative,  Washington  was 
destined  to  encounter  a  twofold  difficulty  of  immense 
/proportions.  The  social,  political,  and  moral  condi 
tions  of  the  whites  were  a  most  serious  barrier,  while 
the  poverty,  ignorance,  and  scattered  condition  of  his 
own  people,  with  no  means  of  intercommunication, 
was  another.  Still  he  firmly  believed  then,  and  did 
to  the  last,  that  his  people  would  eventually  come  to 
their  own  by  downright  merit,  a  quality  that  could  not 
fail  to  recommend  itself  even  to  the  obdurate.  Nor 
was  there  wanting  at  least  a  partial  desire  on  the  part 


HIS  LIFE  WORK  95 

of  some  of  the  whites  to  see  a  change  from  existing 
conditions. 

In  the  fall  of  1878,  realizing  his  own  scholastic 
limitations  and  deficiencies,  Washington  decided  to  go 
to  Wayland  seminary,  at  Washington,  and  prosecute 
his  course  farther.  While  doing  this  he  would  obtain 
an  acquaintanceship  with  a  side  of  the  life  of  his  peo 
ple  entirely  new  to  himself ;  this  would  give  him  not 
only  increased  facilities  of  instruction  but  a  wider  view 
of  life.  The  information  which  he  was  destined  to 
gather  in  the  national  city,  aside  from  his  studies,  was 
just  as  essential  as  that  at  Hampton.  Conditions  were 
vastly  different  from  those  which  he  had  known  at 
the  school  on  the  Virginia  shore.  At  Wayland  semi 
nary  he  met  many  colored  youths  with  plenty  of  mone; 
to  spend,  no  matter  whence  it  came,  and  they  would 
spend  it  and  pass  into  oblivion  without  once  being 
heard  of  by  a  great  race  in  distress.  They  wore  fine 
clothes,  and  with  gloved  hands  played  the  role  of  sport, 
as  they  drove  fine  horses  along  Pennsylvania  Avenue. 
Colored  girls  were  there,  who  in  their  anxiety  to 
"  shine  in  society  "  obtained  money  in  vicious  ways, 
and  went  the  road  to  ruin.  Not  that  this  was  gener 
ally  true  of  the  spirit  of  that  school,  but  it  was  suffi 
cient  to  give  to  the  practical  and  studious  mind  of  the 
young  man  despair  of  anything  hopeful  for  the  race 
from  a  quarter  like  this.  No  matter  whence  these 
boys  and  girls  had  come,  he  had  sprung  from  the 
commonest  walks  of  the  life  of  his  people,  knew  their 
distressing  needs,  their  lack  of  direction,  and  scenes 


96      LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

like  these  did  not  appeal  to  his  judgment,  but  they 
rather  saddened  his  intensely  earnest  spirit. 

But  this  was  not  all  that  he  met  in  the  national  capi 
tal.  In  Congress  were  men  of  his  own  race  who  were 
able  to  bear  themselves  with  ability  in  the  councils 
of  the  nation.  They  did  not  have  to  assume  an  air  of 
bumptiousness  in  order  to  excite  attention  to  an  as 
sumed  consequence,  nor  did  they  have  to  cringe  in 
suppliance  of  due  recognition — they  were  simply  men 
of  ability  among  others.  These  were  not  without  valu 
able  suggestions,  while  they  were  a  source  of  inspira 
tion  to  the  younger  man,  already  serious  in  his  im 
pression  of  the  importance  of  the  race  becoming  that 
of  which  it  was  worthy  and  capable. 

Between  the  two  classes  there  was  a  far  cry.  Wash 
ington  would  accept  the  lessons  from  the  one,  and 
reject  the  other.  He  was  greatly  inspired  and  im 
pressed  by  Senator  Bruce  of  Mississippi,  who,  though 
a  colored  man,  disarmed  the  prejudice  of  all  by  the 
simplicity  and  naturalness  of  his  manner,  and  by  his 
courtesy  to  everyone  alike.  Such  was  his  bearing  that 
when,  later,  he  retired  from  the  senate,  Hon.  L.  Q. 
C.  Lamar,  who  afterward  was  on  the  Supreme  Court 
bench,  took  occasion  to  speak  at  some  length  on  the 
merit  and  ability  of  his  retiring  colleague.  Senator 
Lamar  was  a  man  of  proportions  sufficient  to  accord 
to  the  colored  senator  the  merit  of  his  just  desert,  and 
sufficiently  courageous,  even  at  a  sensitive  time  racially, 
to  defy  unworthy  sentiment  against  one  because  of 
his  color.  There  was  in  all  this,  abounding  suggestive- 
ness  to  the  receptive  and  judicious  spirit  of  a  man 


HIS  LIFE  WORK  97 

like  Washington.  There  were  others  of  his  race  in 
Congress  by  whose  brilliancy  and  force  he  was  im 
pressed,  but  by  Senator  Bruce  he  was  most  captivated 
because  of  his  naturalness  and  the  utter  absence  of  the 
supercilious  spirit. 

Up  to  this  time  the  contact  of  Washington  with 
members  of  the  white  race  had  been  only  of  an  inci 
dental  character.  His  first  years  on  the  plantation 
were  spent  apart  from  them,  and  only  slight  occasion 
had  since  that  time  been  afforded  him  for  touch  with 
them.  He  had  shown  unusual  timidity  in  approach 
ing  any  white  person  during  his  career  as  a  laborer, 
and  the  bearing  in  the  mansion  in  which  he  served  at 
Maiden,  made  him  squeamish,  for  fear  that  he  might 
incur  the  disapprobation  of  Mrs.  Ruffner.  Although 
at  Hampton  he  had  come  into  somewhat  closer  touch 
with  General  Armstrong,  still  he  regarded  the  bearing 
of  this  great  principal  as  being  due  more  to  his  position 
as  a  teacher  of  Negro  youth  than  to  genuine  and  sin 
cere  friendliness.  His  superficial  view  was  due  largely 
to  the  violence  of  the  Ku  Klux  Klan  and  other  agen 
cies,  and  to  the  fervid  tone  of  the  Southern  papers  of 
the  period  in  which  the  Negro  was  a  special  object  of 
denunciation.  All  this  created  in  him  a  sense  of  awe 
bordering  on  fright. 

Hence  his  astonishment  was  the  greater  when, 
the  close  of  the  year  at  Washington,  he  received  a 
formal  invitation  from  the  leading  white  citizens  of 
West  Virginia  to  go  before  the  people  of  that  new 
state  in  advocacy  of  the  transfer  of  its  capital  from 
Wheeling  to  Charleston.  For  more  than  a  year  the 


98   LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

matter  had  been  agitated,  and  popular  sentiment  had  at 
last  reached  a  pitch  that  made  legislative  action  neces 
sary.  That  he  had  arrested  the  attention  of  the  whites 
in  his  undemonstrative  work  at  Maiden  was  now  quite 
plain,  but  Washington  himself  had  had  no  idea  of  it 
till  the  receipt  of  this  most  courteous  invitation. 
Here  was  added  another  element  to  his  future  career, 
and  from  a  quarter  most  unexpected. 

Without  hesitation,  accepting  the  invitation,  he  pro 
ceeded  at  once  to  West  Virginia,  |and  threw  himself 
into  the  spirited  canvass,  speaking  throughout  the 
state  day  and  night  for  three  months.  His  calm 
bearing  on  the  stump,  devoid  of  ostentation,  his  ready 
utterance  and  free,  jovial  manner,  with  a  quaint  hu 
mor  lurking  in  his  sallies,  and,  withal,  his  utmost 
respect  for  all  opponents,  won  for  him  immense  popu 
larity.  He  would  never  suffer  himself  to  be  drawn 
into  warmth  of  expression,  no  matter  how  pert  the 
sallies  made,  or  the  flings  offered.  Without  bluster  or 
rant,  so  characteristic  of  colored  orators  of  the  time, 
he  was  so  forceful  and  convincing  that  the  masses 
heard  him  gladly,  and  his  speeches  became  the  sub 
ject  of  much  favorable  comment.  It  was  difficult  to 
decide  which  class  more  appreciated  his  addresses, 
the  whites  or  the  blacks.  He  received  little  short  of 
an  ovation  throughout  the  entire  state.  While  Charles- 
on  won  the  location  of  the  capital,  more  than  that 
resulted  to  Washington  from  the  heated  canvass.  The 
young  colored  orator  had  demonstrated  the  capability 
of  his  race  in  excess  of  any  impression  hitherto  made 
in  that  state.  He  had  inserted  the  wedge  of  cleavage 


; 


HIS  LIFE  WORK  99 

in  public  sentiment  respecting  the  Negro,  at  least  in 
West  Virginia. 

As  a  result  of  the  campaign,  Washington  was  ear 
nestly  solicited  by  members  of  both  races  to  enter 
politics.  It  was  urged  that  he  would  at  once  take  an 
advanced  position  and  prove  the  peer  of  any  of 
race  then  in  public  life.  This  solicitation  did  n< 
fail,  for  certain  reasons,  to  appeal  to  him.  He  hac 
just  seen  the  positions  of  consequence  held  by  men  oi 
his  race  in  the  national  capital,  and  the  position  of  the| 
white  race  in  politics  seemed  secure,  while  the  Negro; 
needed  to  be  represented.  Still  he  saw  but  little  in  a: 
political  position  that  would  reach  and  affect  the  race 
in  its  depths  and  varied  needs,  and  to  the  welfare  of 
his  people  he  had  dedicated  his  life,  so  he  would  noil 
listen  to  the  flatteries  of  his  persuaders. 

Washington  was  not  indifferent  to  the  political 
privileges  which  he  wished  to  see  his  people  enjoy,  but 
there  were  other  considerations  which  were  of  far  more 
fundamental  value  than  political  rights.  In  this  view 
he  was,  not  supported  by  some  of  the  ..leaders  of  his 
race,  but  this  did  not  affect  his  opinion.  He  felt  that 
for  that  which  would  come  politically  to  his  people 
they  could  well  afford  to  wait,  in  view  of  the  necessity 
of  other  possessions  more  important.  Washington's 
jdea  was  that  the  Negro  needed  economic  independence 
far  more,  than  political;  he  needed  more  the  possession 
of  land  and  a  home,  and  the  education  of  his  children. 

Just  after  the  West  Virginia  campaign,  Washing 
ton  was  invited  by  General  Armstrong  to  deliver  the 
post-graduate  address  at  Hampton  at  the  approaching 


100    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

Commencement.  To  him  the  offer  of  an  honor  like 
that  was  most  gratifying.  While  he  had  graduated 
with  some  distinction  from  Hampton,  he  had  been  the 
college  janitor  throughout  his  collegiate  career,  and 
was  as  much  distinguished  for  his  ability  to  sweep  as 
for  his  scholastic  qualities.  He  was  not  in  a  position, 
therefore,  to  expect  the  distinction.  In  high  apprecia 
tion  of  the  honor  he  set  himself  to  the  preparation  of 
an  address  on  "  The  Force  that  Wins." 

As  he  went  toward  Hampton  in  compliance  with 
the  honored  invitation,  he  passed  over  the  same  route 
pursued  several  years  before,  and  naturally  his 
thought  would  revert  to  the  difference  between  his  con 
dition  then  and  now.  Then  he  was  an  ignorant  pauper 
going  in  quest  of  a  place  of  which  he  had  heard  and 
the  direction  of  which  he  had  learned  from  others. 
Now  he  was  passing  over  the  route  under  conditions 
quite  different.  Then  there  were  railway  facilities 
in  the  direction  of  Hampton  only  in  part,  now  the 
gaps  had  been  filled,  so  that  he  could  travel  the  entire 
distance  by  rail.  Then  he  suffered  from  unavoidable 
hardships,  while  now  he  had  ample  means  of  comfort. 
Then  he  was  utterly  unknown,  now  he  was  recognized 
by  those  who  knew  him  as  the  foremost  young  man  of 
his  race.  In  cooperating  with  self-effort,  Providence 
had  wrought  a  wonderful  change. 

The  address  was  delivered  at  Hampton,  the  con 
gratulations  were  numerous,  and  the  young  orator 
returned  to  his  home,  with  plans  still  unformed  for  the 
summer  and  fall,  when  he  received  a  letter  from  Gen 
eral  Armstrong  offering  him  a  position  at  Hampton 


HIS  LIFE  WORK  101 

with  some  unusual  advantages  to  do  advanced  work  in 
the  prosecution  of  his  studies.  For  the  time  Washing 
ton  was  unwilling  to  surrender  the  work  so  auspiciously 
begun  at  Maiden,  to  which  point  he  had  returned 
with  a  view  of  enlarging  the  educational  facilities  of 
his  people;  this  would  be  the  easier  since  he  had  made 
so  many  friends  in  the  canvass  of  a  few  months  be 
fore.  He  felt  sure  of  aid  which  had  been  hitherto 
unavailable,  and  the  opportunity  was  favorable  for 
planting  a  good  school  at  Maiden.  Yet,  while  re 
luctant  to  give  up  his  cherished  project,  he  felt  that 
he  might  enlarge  his  facilities  for  usefulness  by  going 
to  Hampton,  and  therefore  accepted  the  offer  made  by 
General  Armstrong. 

The  position  assigned  to  the  young  man  at  Hamp 
ton  was  a  novel  one,  and  he  at  first  doubted  his  ability 
to  meet  its  demands.  It  was  an  experiment  made  by 
General  Armstrong  to  test  the  ability  of  the  Indian 
to  learn.  More  than  a  hundred  young  braves  had 
been  procured  from  the  western  reservations  and 
brought  in  a  body  to  Hampton.  Fresh  from  the  in 
terior  reservations,  they  were  wild,  and  totally  igno 
rant  of  the  ways  of  civilization.  Assigned  to  a  sepa 
rate  building  on  the  grounds  of  the  Institute,  Wash 
ington  was  to  room  in  the  same  building  and  have 
complete  oversight  of  them,  and,  with  the  aid  of  as 
sistants,  train  them  first  in  the  rudiments  of  civiliza 
tion.  Their  faces  were  smileless,  their  eyes  keen,  they 
wore  blankets,  and  a  long  tuft  of  hair  down  their 
backs.  Washington  had  some  misgivings  of  the  sub 
mission  of  the  Indian  to  the  discipline  of  a  Negro,  but 


102    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

he  would  combine  kindness  with  becoming  firmness, 
and  he  soon  found  that  the  Indian  would  yield  to  these 
as  readily  as  any  other.  The  long  hair  had  to  be 
clipped,  and  the  blanket  exchanged  for  a  civilized 
garb,  agairist  both  of  which  the  young  bucks  of  the 
plains  at  first  protested;  but  finally  they  were  induced 
to  yield.  He  was  encouraged  by  the  progress  made  by 
his  novel  pupils  as  with  the  readiness  of  their  response 
to  his  orders.  If  the  Indian  was  a  novelty  in  the 
school,  the  surroundings  were  equally  a  novelty  to 
the  Indians.  Regular  bathing,  certain  meal  hours,  the 
enforced  regulations  of  study,  and,  most  of  all,  the 
immense  buildings,  were  sources  of  unending  wonder 
to  the  young  men  from  the  wilds.  Not  one  of  them 
could  at  first  speak  a  word  of  English,  but  by  degrees 
they  acquired  a  knowledge  of  the  tongue  and  gradu 
ally  came  to  glide  into  study  along  with  all  others. 

After  spending  a  successful  year  in  this  novel 
work,  General  Armstrong  requested  Professor  Wash 
ington  to  take  charge  of  a  large  and  growing  class  of 
indigent  students  who  had  found  their  way  to  Hamp 
ton  without  means,  and  who  could  study  only  after 
the  work  of  each  day  was  done.  These  had  to  labor 
during  the  day  to  meet  expenses,  and  to  study  at  night. 
He  succeeded  in  infusing  an  earnest  spirit  into  this 
mass  of  unpromising  students,  and  stirred  them  into 
diligence  by  naming  them  the  "  plucky  class."  He 
could  the  more  readily  adjust  himself  to  their  de 
mands,  for  he  had  not  long  been  outside  the  same 
class  himself.  These  earnest  boys  and  girls  proved 
to  be  among  the  most  studious  of  the  school,  and  to  be 


HIS  LIFE  WORK  103 

able  to  go  out  from  the  institution  with  certificates 
of  proficiency  from  Washington  was  to  each  a  con 
suming  ambition. 

As  we  now  come  to  the  eve  of  the  entrance  of 
Washington  on  his  monumental  work  at  Tuskegee,  it 
is  interesting  to  regard  the  rapid  progress  made  by  him 
within  a  few  years.  The  condition  of  no  one  am 
bitious  for  an  education  could  have  been  more  dis 
couraging  than  was  his.  Every  possible  obstruction 
was  in  his  way  at  the  outset.  If  one  like  him  could 
succeed,  none  need  despair.  He  met  with  cool  and 
resistless  courage  every  difficulty  that  disputed  his 
way,  and  won.  He  acquired  power  in  the  process  of 
turning  every  difficulty  into  an  element  of  success.  In 
the  annals  of  America  there  is  no  trophy  of  democracy 
that  outshines  Booker  T.  Washington.  No  matter 
what  the  odds  were  against  him,  he  declined  to  be  dis 
couraged.  This  was  the  master  motive  of  his  life. 
As  we  shall  have  abundant  opportunity  to  see  later 
on,  his  difficulties  grew  in  corresponding  magnitude 
with  his  advanced  positions.  If  encouragements  came, 
they  were  attended  by  difficulties  of  corresponding 
size.  While  he  had  encouragement  to  advance,  he  had 
discouragement  often  sufficient  to  appall  and  to  check. 
But  he  belteved  that  there  was  a  way  out  of  every 
trouble,  and  to  this  thought  he  steadfastly  clung  and 
by  it  was  stimulated  till  the  difficulty  finally  gave 
way  to  his  irresistible  pluck  and  downright  doggedness 
and  unconquerable  persistency.  Absolutely  nothing 
could  thwart  him.  He  believed  in  himself  as  does 
every  man  who  succeeds. 


104    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

Back  of  all  this  was  his  soul-possessing  idea  of  aid 
ing  others,  especially  of  his  own  race.     Lured  at  first 
solely  by  the  idea  of   procuring  an  education,   this 
gradually    succumbed   to  another   dominant   thought 
which  was  injected  into  his  life,  and  that  was  to  turn 
that  which  was  his,  as  won,  to  the  good  of  his  fellows. 
Then,  too,  his  judgment  was  not  only  cool  and  clear, 
but  discriminative.     Of  course  this  was  largely  the 
result  of  training  and  experience  in  his  varied  ups 
and  downs.     He  was  without  impetuosity  of  decision. 
He    schooled    himself    to    temperamental    calmness. 
While  naturally  gifted  with  coolness,  he  re-enforced 
this  with  a  growing  stock   of   observation  and  in 
struction,  and  calmly  weighed  men  and  affairs.     He 
^  was  never  hasty  of  utterance.     Many  times  was  he 
,  subjected  to  a  fierce  fire  of  criticism,  and  he  knew 
\the  importance  of  preserving  a  golden  silence.     He 
knew  when  to  speak  and  when  to  keep  quiet.    Even  in 
his  younger  years,  before  he  had  entered  on  the  hercu 
lean  task  of  his   life,   these  elements  attracted   the 
..  -attention  of  those  who  knew  him  best.     He  philo- 
/    sophically  recognized  the  limitations  imposed  on  him 
by  reason  of  his  position  in  life,  and  did  not  chafe 
under  them,  nor  resist  them,  but  falling  into  the  cur- 
\    rent,  he  watched  for  every  passing  advantage,  seized 
\  it,  and  turned  it  to  good  account.     Devoted  to  the 
»  good  of  his  people,  he  never  lost  sight  of  any  advan 
tage  that  would  contribute  to  that  end.    Many  did  not 
agree  with  his  methods,  his  motives  were  often  ques 
tioned,  but  he  held  on  his  way,  and  when  the  curtain 
fell  on  the  scene  of  his  life,  his  career  had  vindicated 


HIS  LIFE  WORK  105 

the  purpose  that  had  dominated  him,  and  in  the  aggre 
gation  of  the  results  it  was  seen  that  none  other  of  his 
time  and  of  his  race  had  approximated  the  good  that  he 
had  wrought  not  only  for  his  people,  but  for  the 
entire  country. 


VIII 
TUSKEGEE 

NEAR  the  eastern  confines  of  Alabama,  located 
close  to  the  center  of  the  state,  is  the  county 
of  Macon,  one  of  the  famous  Black  Belt  re 
gion,  noted  in  the  days  of  slavery  for  its  production 
of  cotton.  The  seat  of  justice  of  Macon  County  is 
Tuskegee,  one  of  the  interior  social  and  wealthy  cen 
ters  for  which  the  South  was  at  one  time  noted. 
Like  many  other  points  in  the  South,  Tuskegee  was 
the  residence  of  a  number  of  wealthy  planters  whose 
plantations  lay  in  the  adjacent  regions,  tilled  by  numer 
ous  black  slaves.  The  homes  of  these  land  barons 
were  distinguished  by  splendor,  refinement,  all  the 
evidences  of  affluence,  and  by  the  copious  hospitality 
for  which  the  old  South  was  proverbial.  In  them 
were  hosts  of  well-dressed  colored  servants — porters, 
maids,  laundresses,  cooks,  coachmen,  butlers,  and  hos 
tlers.  It  was  a  typical  Southern  town  of  the  olden 
days.  Within  its  limits  were  institutions  of  learning 
of  high  order  which  lent  significance  to  its  culture. 
Its  streets  and  roadways  were  lined  at  long  intervals 
with  the  architectural  beauty  and  gravity  of  the  old 
colonial  mansions  of  the  rich  planters,  while  its  places 
of  business  were  sufficient  to  meet  the  demands  of  an 
inland  town. 

106 


TUSKEGEE  107 

In  the  year  1857  Tuskegee  was  at  the  height  of  its 
social  and  educational  splendor.  It  was  classed  as  one 
of  the  leading  interior  towns  of  Alabama,  and  from 
it  went  forth  judges,  congressmen,  educators,  and,  at  a 
later  period,  men  who  won  renown  on  the  fields  of 
battle.  At  the  time  alluded  to,  nothing  seemed  more 
inevitably  perpetual  than  Negro  slavery.  There  was 
no  other  thought  in  the  minds  of  the  people  in  that 
tranquil  community  of  wealth.  They  were  undis 
turbed  by  the  outbursts  of  oratory  in  New  England 
and  elsewhere,  against  the  institution  of  domestic 
slavery,  addresses  concerning  which  they  would  lei 
surely  read,  as  well  as  of  the  proceedings,  sometimes  of 
a  stormy  nature,  in  Congress.  James  Buchanan  had 
just  taken  his  seat  as  the  fifteenth  elected  president 
of  the  United  States,  and  in  his  first  annual  message 
to  Congress  had  complacently  said,  in  substance,  al 
luding  to  the  Kansas  question,  that  since  the  agitation 
of  slavery  was  now  over,  the  country  might  return 
to  matters  of  grave  importance.  Just  after  this  de 
liverance  from  the  president,  Chief  Justice  Taney  had 
rendered  his  famous  decision  in  the  Dred  Scott  case, 
in  which  he  took  occasion  to  recall,  in  justification  of 
his  action,  that  of  the  original  builders  of  the  nation : 
"  They  [the  Negroes]  were  at  that  time  considered 
as  a  subordinate  and  inferior  class  who  had  been  sub 
jugated  by  the  dominant  race,  and  had  no  rights  or 
privileges  but  such  as  those  who  held  the  power  and 
the  government  might  choose  to  grant  them.  They 
had  for  more  than  a  century  been  regarded  as  beings 
of  an  inferior  grade,  and  so  far  inferior  that  they 


108    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

had  no  rights  which  the  white  man  is  bound  to  respect ; 
and  that  the  negro  might  justly  and  lawfully  be  re 
duced  to  slavery  for  his  (the  white  man's)  benefit." 

Assurances  like  these  from  the  highest  possible 
sources  calmed  into  serenity  apprehensions  that  might 
arise  in  the  minds  of  any.  Evidently  all  lawful  hold 
ers  of  valuable  slave  property,  the  most  valuable  of  all 
Southern  assets  indeed,  were  to  retain  these  beings  in 
perpetual  servitude,  to  till  their  fertile  fields  and  to 
fill  each  year  their  coffers. 

In  the  same  year,  1857,  a  slave  child  was  born  on  a 
Virginia  plantation,  of  an  ignorant  black  cook,  who 
was  destined  within  the  next  twenty-five  years,  to 
appear  on  the  scene  at  Tuskegee  as  the  harbinger  of 
a  new  order  induced  by  the  intervention  of  many 
changes.  The  events  were  to  come  in  an  order  of 
logical  sequence — a  long  and  bloody  war,  slave  eman- 
cipation,  political  and  social  disorder,  during  the  preva 
lence  of  all  which  Tuskegee  would  decline,  like  every 
other  Southern  community.  This  infant  slave  was 
destined  to  come  to  relieve  confusion  by  a  method  all 
his  own.  He  would  accomplish  that  which  was  baf 
fling  the  sagest  statesmen  and  the  ripest  philosophers 
of  the  time,  and  bring  order  out  of  chaos.  The  eman 
cipation  of  the  slave  had  induced  an  entanglement  of 
both  races,  and  this  slave  boy  was  to  discover  the 
means  of  relief.  It  is  difficult  to  find  in  history  a 
parallel  to  a  condition  so  anomalous.  Yet  the  means 
by  which  all  this  came  about  was  thoroughly  logical. 

Of  the  change  wrought  at  Tuskegee  within  the 
quarter  century  lying  between  1857  and  1882,  nothing 


TUSKEGEE  109 

more  need  be  said  than  that  it  had  come  about  in  a 
regular  but  revolutionary  order.  The  abolition  of  the 
institution  of  slavery  had  resulted  in  the  overturning 
of  the  South's  industrial  system,  which  reposed  on 
the  labor  of  slaves.  The  freedom  of  the  slave  in  his 
ignorance  and  poverty  had  set  him  adrift,  and  the 
whole  situation  had  resulted  in  race  friction  and 
alienation,  to  the  detriment  of  both  white  and  black 
races.  Thoughtful  men  of  both  longed  for  a  change 
in  the  situation.  The  past  was  full  of  darkness  and 
sorrow,  and  the  future  was  altogether  uncertain.  To 
the  dominant  white  the  situation  presented  a  perplex 
ing  problem — to  the  disturbed  black  man  it  was  an 
occasion  of  deep  sorrow.  The  novel  situation  induced 
by  the  sudden  emancipation  of  millions  of  slaves  and 
by  their  transformation  into  citizens,  resulted  in  a 
change  so  appalling  as  to  bewilder  the  wisest.  No 
hint  or  suggestion  of  relief  came  from  any  quarter. 
The  tension  was  just  such  that  any  suggested  means 
of  deliverance  from  the  situation  would  have  been 
hailed  with  delight.  Grave  concern  had  come  to  take 
the  place  of  disappointment  and  passion.  Even  the 
most  vehement  among  the  whites  had  become  sobered 
by  the  protracted  disturbance,  the  tendency  of  which 
was  in  the  direction  of  that  which  was  worse.  On 
both  sides  of  the  race  line  there  were  serious  concern 
and  profound  perplexity. 

It  was  at  this  juncture  that  a  few  colored  men,  late 
slaves,  made  an  humble  overture  to  the  Alabama 
legislature  for  an  appropriation  of  money  sufficient  to 
found  a  school  for  the  training  of  young  colored  men 


110  LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

and  women  as  teachers  and  leaders  of  the  race.  This 
suggestion  was  the  only  feasible  one  that  occurred  to 
them  as  the  beginning  of  a  course  that  might  bring 
relief.  With  but  slight  confidence  in  the  virtue  of  the 
proposed  plan,  the  Alabama  legislators  felt  that  for 
the  sake  of  an  experiment  the  sum  of  $2,000  might 
be  risked  from  the  treasury  of  the  state.  Still,  only 
slight  faith  was  had  in  the  success  of  the  proposed 
undertaking.  Nor  must  the  small  amount  be  spent  for 
any  other  purpose  than  that  of  paying  teachers.  Be 
yond  that  restriction  and  that  of  naming  Tuskegee  as 
the  location  of  the  proposed  school,  the  measure  did 
not  go.  With  practical  unanimity  the  step  was  re 
garded  as  one  of  folly,  ridiculous,  and  a  wild-goose 
chase.  /  However,  if  by  the  use  of  the  trifling  sum  of 
$2,000  invested  in  Negro  brawn  and  brain,  any  good 
could  come,  they  were  willing  to  incur  the  risk.  The 
nature  of  the  measure  itself  would  seem  to  place  the 
success  of  an  undertaking  like  this  in  jeopardy  at  the 
outset.  No  land  was  provided,  no  buildings  were 
bought,  or  erected,  nor  any  provision  made  for  these 
necessary  concomitants,  nor  for  the  slightest  equip 
ment  of  the  school.  However,  if  with  the  little  drib 
ble  the  colored  people  wished  to  provide  teachers  and 
leaders,  they  might  proceed  to  do  so! 

But  what  could  a  mass  of  ignorant,  penniless  peo 
ple  do  with  a  sum  so  slight,  in  the  establishment  of  a 
school  that  was  expected  to  produce  leaders  and  teach 
ers  from  their  own  ranks  to  direct  their  people  through 
a  crisis  so  dire  ?  They  had  no  means  of  their  own,  no 
land,  no  idea  of  how  to  establish  a  school,  and  no 


TUSKEGEE  111 

teachers,  even  if  the  school  were  founded.    The  pro 
vision,  instead  of  aiding,  only  served  to  embarrass  the 
situation  the  more.    It  was  not  that  the  Alabama  legis 
lators  were  indifferent  to  the  seriousness  of  the  situa 
tion,  but  they  simply  had  no  confidence  in  either  the 
ability  or  the  capability  of  the  Negro  to  do  anything 
but  to  wield  the  implement  of  labor.    He  was  deemed 
as  utterly  incapable  of  the  acquisition  of  knowledge 
beyond  the  barest  rudiments,  which  opinion  was  re- 
enforced  by  the  theory  that  education   would   spoil 
him.     It  would  fit  him   for  a  sphere  in  which  trite, 
Negro  could  find  no  place,  while  it  would  ruin  him  as  \ 
a  laborer.      A  boon  to  all  others,  education  would  I 
prove  only  a  bane  to  the  Negro.     The  idea  of  it  was| 
hooted  at  as  chimerical,  and  laughed  at  as  a  fool's! 
errand.     If  the  coming  generation  could  be  made  bet 
ter  tillers  of  the  soil,  well  enough,  but  the  idea  of 
Negroes   attaining  to  scholarship,   and  to  ability  to 
teach  and  to  lead  anybody  was  preposterous!     This 
was  the  current  conviction  at  that  time. 

However,  the  more  thoughtful  and  serious  of  the 
colored  race  would  not  give  up.  They  would  see  what 
might  be  done.  Influential  white  citizens  of  sympa 
thetic  temperament  were  enlisted,  most  of  them  only 
partially ;  but  one,  George  W.  Campbell,  of  Tuskegee, 
a  merchant,  banker,  and  an  original  owner  of  slaves, 
was  seriously  sympathetic  in  behalf  of  the  movement. 
Plain,  direct,  matter-of-fact,  and  intensely  practical 
withal,  Mr.  Campbell  felt  that  it  might  be  encouraged 
with  some  promise  of  ultimate  success.  At  any  rate, 
an  honest  venture  might  disclose  a  workable  plan.  In 


112    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

his  efforts  he  was  seconded  by  Lewis  Adams,  an  un 
usually  wise  and  wide-awake  ex-slave.  For  the  op 
portunity  which  he  had  enjoyed,  none  of  his  race  was 
wiser,  none  more  sagacious.  In  the  days  of  his  servi 
tude  he  had  acquired  skill  as  a  shoemaker,  a  harness- 
maker,  and  a  tinner.  These  two,  a  white  man 
and  an  ex-slave,  cooperated  initially  in  the  move 
ment. 

The  legislators  had  done  their  work  and  had  gone 
to  their  homes,  dismissing  any  further  thought  of  the 
chimerical  dream  of  a  normal  and  industrial  school  for 
Negroes.  The  seriousness  of  the  undertaking  had 
come  to  repose  on  the  white  man  and  colored  man  al 
ready  named.  They  began  to  cast  about  for  a  prac 
tical  beginning.  What  could  possibly  be  done?  No 
white  man  would  assume  to  establish  a  Negro  school, 
and  the  Negroes  in  their  universal  ignorance  had  no 
one  to  propose  for  the  management  of  the  school 
which  existed  as  yet  only  in  imagination.  In  truth, 
there  was  but  little  to  be  managed,  when  only  $2,000 
was  available,  and  that  was  so  circumscribed  by  limita 
tion  as  to  make  it  practicably  unavailable.  Nothing 
could  have  been  more  farcical  than  for  an  ignorant 
race,  utterly  pauperized,  and  without  the  slightest 
idea  about  founding  a  school  of  any  character,  to  as 
sume  a  task  like  this. 

Once  enlisted,  Mr.  Campbell  began  to  correspond 
with  well-known  educators  and  others  relative  to  the 
possibility  of  finding  a  colored  man  capable  of  assum 
ing  a  task  so  serious  within  itself,  and  the  more  serious 
because  not  a  cent  was  available  for  first  establishing 


TUSKEGEE  113 

the  proposed  school.  Throughout  it  seemed  a  comedy 
play,  if  not  a  roaring  farce. 

As  a  result  of  his  correspondence  Mr.  Campbell 
came  upon  the  fact  that  at  Hampton,  Virginia,  there 
was  a  colored  school  devoted  to  the  preparation  of 
teachers  for  intellectual  and  industrial  education,  and 
he  was  informed  that  he  might  be  able  to  receive  some 
illumination  in  relief  of  his  perplexity  by  writing  to 
the  Principal  of  the  Hampton  school,  General  Samuel 
C.  Armstrong.  This  led  to  an  exchange  of  letters 
between  Mr.  Campbell  and  General  Armstrong,  the  lat 
ter  stating  that  there  was  a  young  man  at  Hampton — 
Booker  T.  Washington — whom  he  could  recommend. 

At  the  time,  Washington  was  absorbed  in  his  night 
work  at  Hampton,  or  in  encouraging  his  "  plucky 
class."  General  Armstrong  had  submitted  the  matter 
to  Professor  Washington,  under  the  impression,  gath 
ered  from  the  drift  of  the  correspondence,  that  new 
buildings  with  adequate  equipments  were  in  readiness 
for  the  assumption  of  control  by  anyone  whom  he 
might  recommend.  After  a  time  he  received  a  tele 
gram  from  Mr.  Campbell :  "  Booker  T.  Washington 
will  suit  us — send  him  on." 

The  dispatch  was  received  on  Sunday  evening  while 
General  Armstrong  was  conducting  the  chapel  exer 
cises  at  Hampton.  When  the  exercises  were  over,  he 
read  the  message  in  the  presence  of  the  entire  school, 
and  it  was  greeted  with  wild  applause.  Congratula 
tions  followed  in  abundance,  and  Professor  Wash 
ington  began  to  prepare  to  go  to  Tuskegee  to  take 
charge  of  what  he  at  the  time  thought  was  a  great 


114    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

school,  with  ample  buildings  and  adequate  equipments. 
On  reaching  Tuskegee  in  May,  1881,  he  was  not 
only  greatly  surprised  but  profoundly  disappointed  to 
find  the  situation  just  as  it  was.  What  was  he  to  do? 
He  had  been  sought,  highly  recommended,  and  sent, 
but  he  found  absolutely  nothing  with  which  to  begin 
save  the  slight  appropriation.  He  was  young,  being  only 

Qwenty-four,  and  had  never  faced  a  serious  responsi- 
)ility,  was  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land,  and  without 
•eputation.    In  addition  to  this,  he  was  the  representa- 
ive  of  a  race  of  people  against  whom  there  existed 
much  hostile  sentiment.    They  were  poor  and  illiterate, 
and  the  few  strides  they  had  taken  in  the  life  of  free 
dom  were  mostly  mistaken  ones.     There  was  much 
cial  hostility  and   almost  universal  distrustfulness 
either  of  the  capability  of  his  people  or  of  their  in 
tegrity.    As  a  strange  young  man  with  an  education, 
he  must  encounter  the  strong  sentiment  against  an 
educated  Negro.     His  condition  was  little  short  of 
bejng  deplorable. 

Almost  any  other  would  have  been  paralyzed  in 
spirit  by  the  appalling  situation.  He  could  have  gone 
back  to  Hampton  fully  vindicated  after  explanations. 
Who  could  blame  one  for  declining  to  undertake  the 
practically  impossible  ? 

After  mature  deliberation  Washington  resolved  to 
try  out  the  situation  to  the  utmost.  But  how  was  he 
even  to  begin?  He  had  no  means  at  hand  through 
which  to  reach  the  people  in  order  to  solicit  patronage, 
now  an  unquestioned  necessity.  For  a  Southern  news 
paper  at  that  time  to  have  alluded  in  any  way  to  a 


TUSKEGEE  115 

prospective  Negro  school,  or  to  a  colored  teacher  com 
ing  from  Virginia  to  establish  a  school  for  blacks,  no 
matter  for  what  purpose,  would  have  created  a  stormy 
sensation.  Even  had  there  been  facilities  of  advertise 
ment,  his  people  could  not  read.  For  the  same  reason, 
it  was  folly  to  think  of  correspondence  by  letter. 
There  was  nothing  left  him  after  his  final  decision  to 
venture,  but  to  go  boldly  out  among  his  people  in  the 
country,  visit  them  as  rapidly  as  possible  in  their 
homes,  and  solicit  what  patronage  he  might.  To  this 
course  he  was  absolutely  shut  up. 

After  conference  with  his  two  friends,  George  W. 
Campbell  and  Lewis  Adams,  both  of  whom  assured 
him  of  their  sympathy  and  the  utmost  of  their  sup 
port,  he  entered  on  his  canvass.  In  making  his  way 
into  the  country  he  had  to  avail  himself  of  any  means 
possible  to  go  from  place  to  place.  Many  times  he 
would  tramp  considerable  distances,  again  he  would  be 
conveyed  in  a  buggy  or  wagon.  He  found  the  condi 
tion  of  the  colored  people  miserable  in  many  ways. 
The  huts  in  which  they  dwelt  were  often  but  little 
better  than  pig-stys,  their  food  was  scant  and  poorly 
cooked,  they  lived  as  they  had  in  the  days  of  slavery, 
an  entire  family  in  a  cabin  of  a  single  room.  Yet  in 
an  effort  to  appear  to  be  living  in  an  advanced  con 
dition,  not  a  few  had  bought  on  the  installment  plan 
cheap  but  ornamental  clocks,  though  unable  to  tell 
the  time  of  day;  on  the  same  plan,  they  had  organs, 
pianos,  and  other  musical  instruments,  yet  none  could 
play;  large  and  profusely  gilded  Bibles,  yet  none  could 
read.  In  the  neglect  of  much  else  that  was  valuable, 


116    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

the  men  could  talk  politics  to  the  extent  of  announcing 
to  which  party  they  belonged,  yet  had  not  the  slightest 
conception  of  the  significance  of  the  franchise.  In 
short,  he  realized  that  there  must  be  an  arrest  of  pres 
ent  conditions  along  all  lines  to  save  the  people  from 
degeneration.  Hard  as  was  the  lot  chosen  by  him 
self,  there  was  an  under  joy  within  it  that  changed  the 
bitter  into  sweet. 

The  incongruous  condition  of  his  people  was  to  him 
grotesquely  and  pathetically  ridiculous.  It  appealed  to 
one  who,  "  though  young  in  years,  was  in  experience 

/"old."  One  thing  was  clear,  and  that  was  that  at  the 
present  rate  there  was  no  hope  for  the  Negro  race. 
He  saw  at  a  glance  how  rapidly  they  must  decline  in 

^public  esteem,  and  gradually  sink  into  degeneration. 
Many  false  notions  must  be  expelled  and  right  ones 
substituted,  and  the  eyes  of  the  people  must  be  lifted 
toward  the  ideals  of  civilization.  In  order  to  this, 
there  was  to  his  mind  but  one  course  to  be  pursued, 
and  that  was  for  the  race  to  begin  at  the  bottom  prin 
ciples  of  life  and  work  as  rapidly  upward  as  possible. 
The  utter  absence  of  school-houses  in  the  country  was 
enhanced  by  the  fact  that  they  were  useless  so  long  as 
there  were  no  colored  teachers.  His  people  worshiped, 
for  the  most  part,  under  brush  arbors,  and  the  preach 
ing  which  was  dispensed  consisted  almost  entirely  of 
vociferous  outcries  by  the  minister,  so-called,  who 
would  say  next  to  nothing,  relying  on  his  intonations 
of  voice  and  violent  antics  to  create  frantic  excitement 
among  his  auditors  rather  than  to  impart  instruction. 
Washington  was  beset  before  and  behind  with  every 


TUSKEGEE  117 

conceivable  difficulty.  He  soon  found  that  while  there 
were  many  friendly  whites  there  were  many  others 
who  seriously  doubted  the  propriety  of  the  venture  on 
which  he  had  entered,  thinking  it  one  which  would 
undermine  the  value  of  the  Negro  as  an  economic 
factor,  the  theory  being  that  in  proportion  to  his  edu 
cation  would  he  decline  as  a  contributor  to  prosperity. 
There  was  some  cheer  in  the  fact  of  the  toleration  of 
"  a  risk  "  in  that  direction.  It  implied  that  they  would 
watch  his  venture,  and  be  governed  accordingly,  and 
this  imposed  an  obligation  on  himself  that  burdened  his 
spirit. 

The  summer  of  1881  was  over.  The  canvass  of 
a  limited  territory  had  closed,  and  arrangements  had 
been  made  to  open  the  industrial  institute  for  colored 
people  in  two  dilapidated  buildings,  one  a  run-down 
church  building  and  the  other  a  nearby  cabin.  Thirty 
students  from  the  town  and  the  adjoining  country 
presented  themselves  for  enrollment,  and  with  these 
shabby  beginnings  the  school  began.  Most  of  the 
members  of  the  student  body  were  teachers,  some  of 
whom  had  already  reached  middle  age.  Their  no 
tions  of  what  an  education  meant  were  the  rudest  and 
crudest  possible,  some  even  venturing  to  suggest  that 
they  wished  "  to  push  right  through,"  within  a  period 
of  three  or  four  months  at  the  most,  get  their  diplomas, 
and  hurry  back  to  their  schools.  All  this  suggested 
to  the  young  man  the  tremendousness  of  the  task  that 
he  had  assumed. 

He  firmly  announced  his  double  aim  in  conducting 
the  school, — the  construction  of  character,  not  pro- 


118    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

fessedly,  but  positively,  and  utilization  of  education. 
To  make  these  two  principles  mutually  aid  and  supple 
ment  each  other  was  the  basis  on  which  he  began  and 
which  he  continued  throughout  his  career.  His  people 
had  freedom,  but  they  had  not  yet  learned  how  to 
apply  it  to  the  best  use.  They  were  in  a  wilderness  of 
confusion.  That  which  they  mistakenly  did,  indi 
cated  that  they  would  do  the  right  thing  if  shown. 
The  extravagance  in  expenditure  for  useless  articles 
in  their  homes  was  not  without  a  favorable  side.  It 
showed  that  these  illiterate  people  were  seeking  to  be 
worth  while,  and  this  course  seemed  the  one  most  con 
ducive  to  that  end.  The  fad  of  adopting  long  names 
and  middle  names  was  not  without  suggestion  of  a 
commendable  ambition  which  was  ill-directed.  All  this 
quackery  he  would  replace  with  that  which  was  solid 
and  substantial. 

Distressing  as  was  that  side  of  the  situation,  there 
was  another  equally  so.  The  Negro  had  till  recently 
been  a  valuable  chattel,  but  was  suddenly  transformed 
into  a  citizen.  Not  only  was  he  a  valuable  asset  taken 
away,  but  at  a  time  when  the  country  was  in  ruin  from 
the  war.  Irritation  and  pent  wrath  occasioned  by  this 
condition  were  visited  by  some  on  the  passive  black 
man.  Then  the  turbulence  of  the  reconstruction  period 
was  still  a  memory  of  the  immediate  past.  In  not  a 
few  counties  of  the  Black  Belt  the  blacks  outnumbered 
the  whites,  sometimes  six  to  one.  In  a  number  of  the 
original  slave  states,  the  populations,  white  and  black, 
were  about  equal,  and  in  perhaps  more  than  one,  the 
blacks  outnumbered  the  whites.  The  murmur  was  that 


TUSKEGEE  119 

for  more  than  ten  years  these  people  had  been  free, 
and  they  had  been  years  of  turbulence.  They  were 
still  groping  in  darkness,  were  still  the  same  mass  that 
they  were  when  they  were  liberated.  The  discussion 
of  the  Negro  as  a  menace  to  civilization  was  common 
in  conversation  as  well  as  in  the  press.  Numerous 
theories  obtained  as  to  the  ultimate  result  of  this,  none 
of  which  was  favorable  to  the  unfortunate  blacks. 

What  could  be  done  to  relieve  the  situation?  In 
the  tension  of  the  times,  sweepingly  decisive  plans 
were  proposed,  some  the  most  inhuman  possible.  Tfife 
old-time  idea  of  colonization  was  openly  advocated.^ 
The  slogan,  "  This  is  the  white  man's  country,"  be 
came  to  some  a  dominant  note  that  thrilled.  A  west 
ern  reservation  was  suggested,  then  Mexico,  and  again 
Africa.  That  this  did  not  assume  some  sort  of  shape 
was  due  to  two  very  practical  obstructions,  one  of 
which  was  its  cost,  and  the  other,  the  indispensable- 
ness  of  the  Negro  as  a  laborer.  A  few  openly  advo 
cated  annihilation,  but  this  was  ridiculed  by  the  many. 
Still  the  fact  remained,  still  the  problem  pressed. 

All  these,  it  will  be  observed,  looked  only  in  a 
detrimental  direction  to  the  Negro.  The  forces  of 
elevation  were  only  partly  and  weakly  urged-^those 
of  education  and  of  patient  evangelization.  Force 
and  not  suasion  was  the  sentiment,  not  universal,  but 
general. 

Nor  was  this  yet  all.  The  short-comings  of  the 
Negro  were  exaggerated  by  reason  of  the  sensitive 
ness  of  the  times.  Those  in  search  of  faults  in  others 
are  apt  to  find  them.  In  his  ignorance  and  blunder- 


120    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

ing,  his  short-sightedness  and  obtuseness  of  moral 
character,  all  of  which  were  in  some  part,  at  least, 
the  fruits  of  slavery,  Negro  vice  and  criminality 
abounded.  This  elicited  violence  on  the  part  of  those 
violently  disposed.  Whatever  the  profession  of  the 
Negro,  he  was,  on  all  hands,  suspected.  Then  came 
the  indiscriminate  judgment  of  the  Negro.  A  criminal 
was  taken  as  an  apt  representative  of  the  entire  race. 

f  A  crime  was  charged  not  only  to  a  Negro,  but  to  the 

\Negro,  including  the  whole  of  the  people. 

This  is  a  fair  representation  of  the  spirit  of  the 
times  in  the  interior  of  the  South  when  Professor 
Washington  made  his  advent  at  Tuskegee.  It  is  now 
recalled  only  for  the  purpose  of  making  visual  the 
enormity  of  the  difficulty  confronting  the  youthful 
leader  in  his  embryonic  venture  at  this  particular  time. 
He  saw  that  without  systematic  direction,  and  without 
clearness  of  aim  and  distinctiveness  of  purpose,  noth 
ing  could  be  done. 

perhaps  the  severest  test  of  the  moral  poise  of  char 
acter  to  which  Principal  Washington  was  subjected 
was  that  by  a  contingent  of  his  own  race  who  objected 
to  his  idea  and  policy  of  undertaking  to  provide  a 
foundation  basis  of  labor  for  the  race,  as  a  fulcrum 
for  race-lifting.  His  purpose  was  misapprehended, 

.  his  views  were  distorted  by  not  a  few.  To  some  it 
bore  the  aspect  of  degradation  rather  than  of  eleva- 

:e  tion.  To  others,  it  was  interpreted  to  mean  the  frank 
acknowledgment  of  the  inferiority  of  the  colored  race, 
while  to  others  it  implied  the  return  to  practical  servi 
tude.  Washington  would  have  his  people  disregard  all 


TUSKEGEE  121 

else  than  the  laying  of  a  race  foundation  sure  and  firm, 
in  order  that  thence  they  might  gradually  climb  up 
ward,  being  amply  able  to  take  each  ascending  step  of 
the  grade  by  the  firmness  of  the  footing  already 
secured.  His  conception  of  a  bottom  race  beginning 
at  the  bottom,  in  the  region  right  about  it,  was  vindi 
cated  alike  by  logic  and  by  history. 

The  opposite  course,  that  of  the  race  seeking  by  a 
single  bound  to  vault  to  the  summit,  was  against  the 
simplest  law  of  nature  and  in  direct  conflict  with  all 
racial  history.  Of  this  he  had  known  the  most  lamen 
table  exhibitions.  He  had  seen  the  shoddy  and  super 
ficial  fellow  with  a  smattering  education,  decked  in 
the  garb  of  the  latest  fashion,  who  found  no  sphere 
in  which  to  move  because  there  was  none.  He  had 
seen  the  unequipped  and  the  unprepared  tumble  from 
his  superficial  eminence  because  he  had  none  of  the 
forces  to  maintain  him.  He  had  observed  with  interest 
and  concern  the  laudable  but  mistaken  efforts  of  his  \ 
people  in  the  far  interior,  seeking  to  find  the  way  to 
respectability  by  the  purchase  of  showy  tinselry  and 
ornamental  books  and  furniture  for  which  they  had 
no  earthly  use,  while  the  children  remained  unfed  and 
unclad,  and  their  miserable  places  of  abode  were  but  / 
little  better  than  the  stalls  of  oxen. 

Against  all  this  folly  he  set  himself,  not  captiously 
nor  abusively,  but  patiently  and  persuasively,  and  was 
willing  to  go  into  the  trenches  of  the  struggle  along 
side  them  in  their  honest  efforts  to  aspire  while  he 
would  direct.  Misjudged,  misinterpreted,  and  often 
misquoted,  he  persevered,  and  when  the  end  came,  he 


122    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

left  in  many  thousands  concrete  evidences  of  his  work. 
True,  his  resources  at  the  outset  were  contemptible 
enough  in  aspect,  but  they  embodied  the  germ  of  a 
new  civilization,  the  norm  of  a  new  race,  the  hidden 
power  of  a  people  who  during  fifty  years  of  disadvan 
tage  exceeded  in  progress  any  other  race  in  history 
within  the  same  compass  of  time.  Washington  was 
a  sincere  believer  in  his  people.  He  loved  his  race,  and 
transmuted  bitterness  into  respect,  and  hostility  into 
interest,  by  that  which  he  demonstrated  in  the  unques 
tioned  capability  of  the  Negro. 


IX 
SUPREME  DIFFICULTIES 

WHILE  only  a  bare  outline  of  the  situation 
in  the  South  at  the  time  that  Principal 
Washington  began  his  life  work  at  Tus- 
kegee  has  been  given,  sufficient  has  been  presented  to 
show  how  colossal  was  the  task  that  he  had  assumed. 
He  would  secure  a  sure  footing  as  he  advanced.  If 
he  had  but  little  either  of  substantial  means  or  of  en 
couragement,  he  would  make  the  most  of  these,  and 
by  mounting  them,  he  would  gain  a  view  of  the  steps 
next  succeeding;  and  if  the  process  was  slow  and  irk 
some,  it  at  least  had  the  moral  value  of  accomplishing 
thus  much,  which  was  an  advance  of  that  from  which 
he  had  risen.  A  heroic  philosopher,  he  met  conditions 
as  they  came,  with  calm  and  unblinking  front.  His 
was  a  singleness  of  aim,  a  oneness  of  purpose,  that  of 
raising  his  people  to  the  height  of  commanding  re 
spectability  by  the  possession  of  virtues  which  to  reject 
and  despise  would  condemn  the  despiser.  His  material 
was  exceedingly  crude,  but  good-naturedly  he  would 
mold  it  into  shape  by  a  process  altogether  natural, 
and  in  the  end  would  make  the  result  vindicate  itself. 
By  every  means  he  was  qualified  for  the  task.  His 
was  no  empty  theory;  he  worked  by  the  hard,  stern 
rules  of  experience,  rules  he  had  already  tested.  He 

123 


124    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

himself  had  been  in  the  deeps,  as  far  down  as  any. 
He  knew  the  pathway  of  emergence.  Naturally  op 
timistic,  courageous,  inventive,  resourceful,  sympa 
thetic,  a  race-lover  and  a  race-lifter,  he  knew  every 
step  of  the  way,  and  thus  endowed,  he  was  divinely 
appointed  to  the  kingdom  for  a  time  like  this.  He 
met  force,  harsh  and  frowning  as  it  was,  with  an 
ability  of  achievement  that  sealed  the  lips  of  the  gain- 
sayer.  He  was  profuse  in  deed,  rather  than  in  promise. 
Gathering  his  little  band  of  unpromising  students 
within  the  walls  of  dilapidated  buildings,  he  would 
demonstrate  first  to  them  the  possibility  of  achieve 
ment  against  odds.  At  times  a  stretched  umbrella 
had  to  protect  him  against  the  rain  pouring  through 
a  decayed  roof  while  he  stood  book  in  hand,  to  in 
struct  and  inspire.  If  at  other  times  the  umbrella 
was  necessary  to  shield  him  from  the  leaky  roof  while 
he  snatched  his  hasty  meal  in  the  tumble-down  cabin, 
he  was  inspiring  his  pupils  by  an  example  that  made 
heroes  and  heroines.  This  spectacle  of  heroism  is 
worthy  of  the  encomium  of  any  pen,  yea,  it  is  worthy 
of  the  emulation  of  any.  The  demands  of  the  time 
were  rigorously  exacting,  but  he  had  the  pluck  to 
meet  them.  Had  he  been  other  than  a  struggling 
Negro,  sympathy  and  support  would  have  flowed  to 
him  in  confluent  currents,  but  he,  and  he  alone,  had 
to  receive  the  dire  predictions  of  failure  and  endure 
the  whispered  innuendoes  that  the  upshot  of  the  whole 
thing  would  be  the  engenderment  of  mischief  in  the 
heart  of  dangerous  Negroes.  Taken  all  in  all,  it  is 
impossible  to  conceive  of  a  situation  the  endurance  of 


SUPREME  DIFFICULTIES  125 

which  surpasses  in  severity  that  which  he  was  com 
pelled  to  undergo  in  these  opening  years  at  Tuskegee. 
He  gave  vent  to  no  rash  promises  of  success.  He 
regaled  none  with  rosy  dreams.  When  reviled  he 
reviled  not  again,  but  with  philosophic  fortitude  bore 
all  in  cheerful  silence,  and  labored  on.  Out  of  the 
depths  of  his  own  discouragement  he  sought  to  inspire 
courage  in  the  hearts  of  his  people,  and  in  the  midst  of 
bitter  environments  he  was  still  courteous  to  all  alike. 
Having  but  little,  he  would  use  that  to  the  utmost. 
Thwarted  in  one  direction,  he  would  turn,  with  his 
wounded  spirit  disguised,  calmly  in  another.  Mem 
bers  of  both  races  were  prodigal  of  advice  and  sug 
gestion,  to  all  of  which  he  would  listen  with  due  re 
spect,  and  then  onward  plod  his  own  way,  guided  by  a 
judgment  derived  from  the  exigencies  of  a  trying 
situation.  .  The  numerous  instances  of  discouragement 
recorded  by  him  in  later  years  in  a  jocular  strain  did 
not  move  him  the  width  of  a  hair  from  his  quiet  and 
settled  purpose.  When  a  colored  brother  undertook 
to  lecture  him  most  seriously  in  derogation  of  his 
policy,  by  telling  him  that  labor  was  originally  cursed, 
and  that  therefore  to  teach  to  labor  was  criminally 
wrong  before  the  Most  High,  it  only  appealed  to  the 
humorous  side  of  his  nature.  When  accused  of  being 
in  collusion  with  the  whites  to  bring  his  people  back 
into  slavery,  because  he  strenuously  enforced  the  duty 
of  diligent  activity,  he  was  willing  to  wait  for  the 
future  to  bring  the  answer  of  vindication.  Thus  he 
stood  with  steadfast  footing,  and  bravely  met  what 
ever  came,  without  waver  of  purpose,  or  diminution  of 


126    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

effort.  The  young  man  had  an  ideal,  and  he  would 
test  it  to  the  fullest. 

It  is  eminently  fair,  in  this  connection,  that  appro 
priate  mention  be  made  of  the  earliest  and  most  worthy 
assistant  of  Professor  Washington  in  the  outset  of 
his  struggles  at  Tuskegee — Miss  Olivia  A.  Davidson. 
With  exceptional  scholastic  advantages,  she  had  had 
much  experience  as  a  teacher  and  successful  manager, 
and  her  connection  with  the  school  at  the  outset  was 
most  fortunate.  The  distressing1  condition  of  her 
people  in  the  Black  Belt  lured  her  more  than  anything 
else  to  join  with  Principal  Washington  in  his  pro 
posed  venture.  Tempting  offers  of  remuneration  failed 
to  divert  her  from  her  purpose  to  aid  in  the  Tuskegee 
enterprise,  and  to  her  more  than  to  any  other  was 
Principal  Washington  indebted  for  his  success  in  es 
tablishing  his  renowned  school.  She  brought  to  her 
difficult  work  at  Tuskegee  a  most  worthy  record  not 
only  of  scholarship  and  of  experience,  but  of  sympathy 
for  her  struggling  race  to  which  she  was  ardently  de 
voted.  Then,  too,  she  was  a  woman  of  rare  judgment 
and  of  acute  discrimination.  A  graduate  of  Hampton, 
her  course  was  subsequently  enlarged  by  her  gradua 
tion  from  the  Massachusetts  State  Normal  School  at 
Framingham. 

A  woman  of  excellent  culture,  tact,  and  taste,  she 
was  exactly  suited  to  the  demand  of  the  situation  at 
Tuskegee  in  the  beginning.  The  advent  of  two 
strange  colored  teachers  at  Tuskegee,  one  from  Vir 
ginia,  and  the  other  from  Ohio,  would  excite  not  a 
little  suspicion  concerning  the  effect  which  they  would 


SUPREME  DIFFICULTIES  127 

have  on  the  Negro  population,  but  so  soon  as  Prin 
cipal  Washington  and  his  able  assistant  came  to  be 
known,  they  became  popular  with  the  leading  people 
of  the  town.  The  admirable  judgment  and  race  loyalty 
of  Miss  Davidson  are  illustrated  by  the  fact  that  dur 
ing  her  course  of  study  in  New  England  she  posi 
tively  declined  to  deny  her  race  identity,  even  though 
assured  that  she  could  do  so  because  of  the  lightness 
of  her  complexion.  She  openly  said  that  she  was  a 
Negro,  was  proud  of  the  fact,  and  wished,  as  one,  to 
assist  her  people  to  make  the  term  "  Negro  "  as  honor 
able  as  any  race  name.  She  bore  no  small  part  in 
framing  the  original  policy  of  Tuskegee,  and  in  view 
of  that  which  the  school  has  done  for  the  good  of 
the  country  at  large,  she  is  worthy  of  the  gratitude  of 
all  the  people,  irrespective  of  race. 

Had  these  two  worthy  and  accomplished  people 
been  content  with  mere  text-book  drill,  nothing  would 
have  been  easier  than  to  have  restricted  their  efforts 
to  this  alone;  but  together  they  sought  the  highest  and 
widest  equipment  of  their  people  for  the  serious  issues 
of  life,  and  never  wavered  in  their  devotion  to  the  at 
tainment  of  the  greatest  good.  That  which  they  to 
gether  sought  was  to  make  men  and  women  who 
would  become  helpers  to  the  vast  and  needy  multitude. 

Hailing  almost  altogether  from  interior  plantations, 
the  colored  youth  who  sought  the  advantages  offered 
at  Tuskegee  were  at  first  largely  indifferent  to  per 
sonal  cleanliness,  either  of  their  persons  or  of  their 
clothing.  Their  food  on  the  plantation  had  been  a 
uniformity  of  cornbread  and  fried  bacon,  and  as 


128    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

for   tooth-brushes,    most   of    them   had   never   used 
them. 

Nothing  was  clearer  to  these  worthy  and  scrupulous 
teachers  than  that  to  do  no  more  than  to  develop  the 
minds  of  these  young  people  would  have  made  them 
totally  unfit  for  life.  A  course  like  this  would  have 
educated  them  away  from  the  practical  affairs  with 
which  they  were  most  familiar.  But  what  could  be 
done  to  improve  conditions  in  their  shabby  quarters? 
Neither  Washington  nor  his  able  assistant  had  means 
to  improve  conditions.  They  fully  understood  the 
impossibility  of  the  best  results — either  mental  or 
moral — from  conditions  like  these,  but  there  was  noth 
ing  left  them  but  to  make  the  most  of  that  in  hand,  and 
keep  a  close  outlook  for  better  things  as  they  would 
be  suggested  from  time  to  time. 

The  vision  which  haunted  Washington  was  that  of 
•    a  fully-equipped  school  in  which  mental  and  manual 
effort  would  go  hand  in  hand,  so  that  ability  to  cope 
I    with  life's  requirements  would  be  acquired  by  each 
Vpupil.     He  was  the  more  concerned  about  this  with 
respect  to  the  first  students  who  came  to  Tuskegee, 
because  in  their  artlessness  and  ignorance  they  dis 
closed  the  fact  that  they  were  seekers  after  education 
as  a  means  of  relief  from  manual  or  physical  effort. 
The  latter  would  remind  of  slavery,  the  former  of 
freedom  and  independence.     To  give  mental  instruc 
tion  the  first  year,  was  all  that  could  be  done,  and  in 
doing  this  the  utmost  was  done  that  was  possible  with 
the  character  of  students  on  hand.     Washington  con 
tinued  to  dream,  however,  of  a  time  in  the  future  when 


SUPREME  DIFFICULTIES  129 

his  perplexity  would  be  relieved  by  means  of  ample 
facilities  for  training  the  head,  heart,  and  hands. 

If  this  ideal  was  to  be  realized,  land,  buildings  for 
shops,  recitation  rooms,  dormitories,  laboratories,  a 
library,  and  all  else  pertaining  to  a  first-class  institu 
tion,  were  necessary.  But  how  were  these  to  be  had  ? 
At  that  time  he  had  no  one  in  mind  on  whom  he  could 
rely  for  so  much  as  a  cent.  His  acquaintanceship  was 
very  limited.  He  could  not  then  name  a  man  or 
woman  in  all  the  country  to  whom  he  could  go  with 
a  proposal  for  aid.  He  believed,  however,  that  where 
a  necessity  was  so  urgent,  a  race  so  eager  to  advance, 
and  yet  so  low  in  the  scale  of  even  the  ordinary  con 
ditions  of  real  life,  a  way  would  be  eventually  opened, 
however  remote  it  now  seemed.  One  of  Washing 
ton's  staying  qualities  was  that  of  faith.  He  be 
lieved  in  himself,  in  his  fellow-men,  and  in  God.  It 
was  Napoleon  who  said :  "  All  the  scholastic  scaf 
folding  falls  as  a  ruined  edifice  before  one  single  word 
—faith." 

Fortunately  for  Washington  at  this  time,  land  in  the 
South  was  very  cheap.  It  went  begging  in  every 
market.  The  collapse  of  slavery  had  thrown  on  the 
market  millions  of  valuable  acres  that  could  be  had  at 
amazingly  low  prices.  While  he  had  not  a  dime  to 
invest  in  land,  he  could  create  means  by  his  own  exer 
tions,  and  he  was  on  the  alert  for  any  opportunity  that 
might  come  his  way.  Investigation  brought  to  his 
knowledge  the  fact  that  lying  just  outside  Tuskegee 
and  running  up  to  its  limits,  was  an  abandoned  planta 
tion  of  five  hundred  acres  on  which  were  the  ruins  of 


130    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

an  old-time  mansion  that  had  been  burned.  The 
original  dining-room,  a  stable,  and  a  hen-house  still 
remained.  The  land  was  on  the  market  for  five  hun 
dred  dollars.  It  was  not  fertile,  yet  it  was  good,  and 
by  methods  of  reclamation  and  fertilization  could  be 
made  very  productive.  While  the  cost  was  quite  low 
at  that  figure,  it  was  high  to  one  who  had  no  money. 
The  combined  assets  of  both  Washington  and  his  able 
assistant  were  not  so  much  as  one-tenth  of  the  pro 
posed  amount.  However  the  terms  were  made  easy  by 
the  offer  of  the  property  for  one-half  cash,  and  the 
balance  within  twelve  months.  By  making  this  ar 
rangement,  they  might  occupy  the  property  at  once. 
Washington  had  had  his  eye  on  this  tract  for  some 
time,  and  was  willing  to  accept  the  terms  offered,  if 
only  a  little  while  could  be  allowed  him  to  see  what 
could  be  done.  He  at  once  wrote  to  the  treasurer  of 
the  Hampton  school  to  know  if  the  amount  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  could  be  lent  him.  General 
Marshall,  the  treasurer,  promptly  replied  that  of 
course  he  could  not  use  the  funds  of  the  school  for 
such  a  purpose,  but  that  he  would  himself  lend  the 
proposed  amount  on  the  assumption  of  the  responsi 
bility  of  the  loan  by  Washington. 

The  kind  offer  was  accepted,  and  without  delay  the 
new  owners  took  possession.  The  buildings  were  in 
a  dilapidated  condition,  not  having  been  used  for  a 
number  of  years,  but,  practical  to  the  bottom,  the 
plucky  Principal  began  to  repair  them  for  use  as  class 
rooms — the  dining-room,  the  kitchen,  the  stall,  and 
the  hen-house.  Every  student  was  set  to  work  at 


SUPREME  DIFFICULTIES  131 

the  expiration  of  school  hours,  the  Principal  leading 
in  the  labor.  This  did  not  pleasantly  impress  the 
country  school-teachers — the  idea  of  manual  service — 
and  some  of  them  protested  that  they  had  come  to  col 
lege,  and  not  to  labor  in  repairing  old  houses.  But 
when  they  saw  the  vim  with  which  the  Principal  him 
self  went  at  it,  in  sheer  shame  they  followed.  The 
houses  were  duly  repaired  in  the  most  economical  way 
possible,  and  gotten  into  shape  for  classrooms. 

This  was  no  sooner  done  than  Washington  went  to 
work  to  clear  land  for  a  crop  to  be  planted  dur 
ing  the  ensuing  spring.  Here  again  the  teachers  ob 
jected,  but  Washington  had  thrown  off  his  coat,  and 
gone  to  work  with  such  vigor  that  they  forgot  their 
mistaken  dignity  and  importance,  and  followed.  The 
uplands  fast  assumed  an  aspect  of  activity.  The  old 
houses  reclaimed  gave  to  the  situation  a  new  look  of 
life,  while  the  cleared  surroundings  suggested  prog 
ress.  The  fresh  movements  on  the  hill  stirred  the 
attention  of  the  town,  and  the  locality  was  visited  by 
not  a  few  to  see  the  wonderful  transformation  that  had 
taken  place.  Suppressed  criticism  came  to  an  end  in 
the'  town,  and  with  prompt  interest  the  people  began 
to  applaud  where  before  they  had  objected  to  the 
location  of  a  "  darkey  school "  in  their  midst.  This 
was  a  matter  of  growing  delight  to  Washington,  who 
well  understood  that  while  most  of  the  whites  were 
friendly  toward  the  project,  there  were  others  who 
had  misgivings,  and  were  only  waiting  for  something 
unfavorable  to  occur  so  that  they  might  be  able  to  say, 
"  I  told  you  so."  Now  that  the  opposite  was  taking 


132    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

place,  the  sentiment  of  the  community  was  in  a 
friendly  direction.  Success  always  wins  applause, 
and  effectually  seals  the  lips  of  opposition.  With 
keenness  of  vision  Washington  saw  this,  and  more,  he 
saw  that  he  was  going  to  win  the  favor  of  the  com 
munity,  on  which  his  venture  in  establishing  a  suc 
cessful  school  so  much  depended.  Without  the  f  riend- 
§hip  of  the  whites,  he  knew  that  success  was  impos 
sible.  Private  opinion  is  weak,  but  public  sentiment 
is  well-nigh  omnipotent. 

That  sentiment  was  practically  demonstrated  when 
Miss  Davidson  began  to  canvass  the  town  for  aid 
with  which  to  meet  the  first  note.  Every  white  friend 
gave  something,  and  the  gift  was  accompanied  with 
words  of  assurance  and  of  encouragement.  This  same 
indefatigable  assistant  held  festivals,  suppers,  and 
divers  entertainments,  to  which  the  whites  contributed, 
but  most  of  their  gifts  were  in  the  way  of  direct  dona 
tions.  The  news  of  the  success  thus  far  attained 
spread  through  the  colored  population  far  and  wide, 
a  thrill  was  created  everywhere,  the  whites  were  talk 
ing  of  the  wonderful  young  colored  man  and  his  pluck 
and  progress,  and  students  came  in  increased  num 
bers.  Negroes  took  fresh  courage,  breathed  more 
freely,  and  were  profuse  in  their  varied  contributions 
to  the  advancing  cause.  A  chord  had  been  struck  that 
awoke  new  energy.  The  quiet  demonstrations  on  that 
upland  outside  Tuskegee  set  people  to  thinking,  and 
light  came  where  before  there  was  darkness. 

The  scene  was  pathetic  in  many  of  its  aspects. 
Every  colored  man  and  woman  was  eager  to  aid. 


SUPREME  DIFFICULTIES  133 

When  unable  to  give  money,  they  would  bring  as 
offerings  a  division  of  what  they  called  "  plantation 
truck  " — beans,  peas,  sugar  cane,  molasses,  bedquilts, 
ginger  cakes,  fresh  meat — anything  that  could  be 
turned  into  money.  One  donation  Washington  long 
afterward  recalled,  and  always  with  emotion.  An 
old,  ignorant  colored  woman,  in  garments  worn  and 
faded,  but  clean,  sought  her  way  to  the  Principal's 
presence  with  a  bandana  handkerchief  in  her  hand. 
With  upraised  eyes,  filmed  by  age  and  hard  service, 
she  said :  "  Mr.  Washin'ton,  God  knows  I  don  spent 
de  bes'  days  of  mer  life  in  slav'ry.  Fs  ig'rant  and 
po,  an'  all  dat,  but  I  knows  what  you  an'  Miss  Dav'son 
a'tryin'  ter  do  fer  de  collud  race,  an'  whiles  I  ain't 
got  no  money  to  gin  yer,  I  don  fotch  dese  six  eggs 
what  Fs  been  savin',  an'  I  wants  yer  to  put  dese  eggs 
inter  de  edication  of  dese  here  boys  and  girls.  Fs  too 
old  merself  ter  git  any  good  out'n  it,  but  I  kin  help  a 
leetle." 

The  Christmas  holidays  came,  affording  a  new  chap 
ter  to  Washington's  observation  of  the  needs  of  his 
people.  An  army  of  them  from  plantations  near  and 
far,  poured  into  the  town,  where  in  masses  they 
floated  aimlessly  along  the  streets,  many  in  rags,  and 
the  few  who  had  small  sums  of  money  investing  in 
gewgaws,  candy,  snuff,  tobacco,  and  liquor.  Days  of 
pauper  jollity  were  indulged  in,  and  it  was  next  to 
impossible  to  employ  any  of  them  in  any  labor,  for  it 
was  "  Chrismus  times,"  and  labor  was  therefore  not 
to  be  thought  of.  Not  till  New  Year's  Day  came,  was 
work  in  order.  But  to  the  teachers,  ambitious  for  the 


134    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

progress  of  the  race,  the  scenes  of  drunkenness  of 
both  sexes,  were  most  shocking  and  discouraging. 
Fireworks,  firearms,  and  razors,  all  freely  used  by  the 
intoxicated  Negroes,  resulted  in  numerous  casualties, 
and  a  harvest  of  petty  lawsuits  was  a  logical  after 
math  of  the  Christmas.  Here  was  suggestive  work 
for  the  missionary  teacher. 

During  the  winter  months  of  the  first  session,  the 
hours  outside  of  school  were  devoted  to  the  prepara 
tion  of  the  newly-cleared  land  for  the  approaching 
crop.  As  plans  developed,  they  would,  in  turn,  create 
others.  Each  successful  development  was  closely  fol 
lowed  up,  and  with  increasing  encouragement  condi 
tions  were  improving.  While  Washington  was  mak 
ing  Tuskegee,  Tuskegee  was  making  Washington. 
All  successful  action  is  reaction.  "  Nothing  suc 
ceeds  like  success."  By  dint  of  unflagging  effort  and 
rigid  conservation  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  dol 
lars  lent  by  General  Marshall  was  repaid  within  three 
months,  and  the  entire  debt  of  five  hundred  dollars 
was  wiped  out  within  five  months — seven  months  in 
advance  of  maturity.  To  the  efforts  of  Miss  David 
son,  afterward  Mrs.  Washington,  the  cancellation  of 
these  debts  was  mainly  due.  Together  the  two  teach 
ers  planned,  and  the  assistant  executed. 

The  school  was  now  in  possession  of  valuable  prop 
erty,  in  a  location  destined  to  become  one  of  the  most 
noted  on  the  continent.  Both  races  were  cheered  in  so 
far  as  they  were  in  sufficient  touch  with  that  which 
had  been  done,  and  confidence  grew.  Other  lands 
were  later  bought,  till  the  tract  after  a  number  of 


SUPREME  DIFFICULTIES  135 

years  was  increased  to  more  than  2,200  acres.  An 
old  blind  horse  was  given  Washington  with  which  to 
cultivate  his  land,  but  after  -the  payment  for  the  whole 
had  been  made,  there  were  no  means  with  which  to 
buy  implements;  but  someone  gave  him  an  old  hoe, 
and  with  this  implement  and  the  old  blind  horse  he 
made  his  first  crop.  Every  pupil  had  to  labor,  or 
leave,  and  the  rule  thus  early  adopted  served  as  guide 
to  that  which  all  other  future  applicants  for  admis 
sion  into  the  school  were  to  expect.  It  served  to  over 
set  many  false  notions  entertained  by  his  people,  but 
this  was  what  he  wished.  No  one  surpassed  him  in 
the  desire  to  see  his  people  come  into  the  possession  of 
wealth  and  learning,  but  the  road  to  these  lay  not  along 
the  surface  of  bare  assumption.  It  must  be  substan 
tially  and  fundamentally  buttressed  and  ballasted.  No 
man  of  his  race  saw  this  with  equal  perception  at  that 
time.  Any  other  method  was  that  of  shoddiness  and 
hollowness.  In  the  face  of  protest,  and  breasting  op 
position,  he  would  proceed  to  the  end.  Tuskegee  and 
its  achievements  tell  the  story.  While  the  students 
were  laboring  at  odd  hours,  they  were  meeting  their 
current  expenses,  but  this  was  not  all — they  were 
learning  the  art  of  doing  something  that  was  worth 
while.  This  was,  and  still  is,  the  Tuskegee  idea.  He 
taught  the  honorableness  of  labor  as  the  highway  to 
independence.  The  idea  is  a  capital  one  for  any  and 
all  to  grasp. 

The  fact  must  not  be  overlooked  that  to  Booker  T. 
Washington,  the  ex-slave,  belongs  the  distinction  of 
establishing  the  first  agricultural  college  in  the  South. 


136    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

Its  principles  were  first  demonstrated  by  him.  Long 
in  advance  of  the  now  noted  schools  of  that  character, 
one  of  the  chief  features  of  later  educational  methods, 
he  demonstrated  on  the  barren  soils  of  the  uplands 
lying  outside  Tuskegee  how  lands  can  be  reclaimed  and 
brought  to  such  a  degree  of  productiveness  as  to  be 
made  valuable.  Now,  in  each  state,  there  is  a  great 
agricultural  school  doing  just  those  things  which 
Washington  had  done  many  years  before  their  estab 
lishment,  and  done  them  as  a  necessity  to  a  race 
groping  through  the  gloom  for  a  means  of  relief.  The 
chief  difference  between  the  original  school  founded 
by  Washington  and  those  later  established  in  the  states 
is  that  the  students  actually  labor  at  Tuskegee,  and 
learn  by  labor,  whereas  in  the  great  state  schools  the 
work  done  is  mostly  in  "  experimentation."  With 
Washington  it  was  all  along  lines  of  experience  rather 
than  of  experiment. 

Financially  straitened,  nothing  was  wasted  at  Tus 
kegee.  Every  scrap  of  everything  could  be  turned 
to  some  useful  end.  The  first  aim  was  to  produce 
supplies  for  the  school,  but  in  doing  this  much  else 
was  accomplished.  Washington's  economical  manage 
ment  had  already  begun  to  arrest  serious  attention. 
He  was  not  only  lifting  a  race  out  of  the  mire,  he  was 
setting  the  pace  of  the  redemption  of  the  entire  South 
under  the  new  order  to  which  it  was  brought  as  a 
result  of  the  Civil  War.  He  published  no  bulletins, 
advertised  no  methods,  offered  no  suggestions  through 
the  public  prints  to  others.  He  simply  did  things! 
Nor  was  he  seeking  to  do  anything  great,  he  was  not 


SUPREME  DIFFICULTIES  137 

even  aware  that  he  was  doing  great  things.  He  was 
absorbed  in  the  idea  of  getting  his  people  fairly  afoot 
that  they  might  stand  erect  and  gain  a  place  in  Amer 
ican  life  through  merit.  Simply  and  without  demon 
stration  he  wrought  to  the  benefit  of  both  races  in  all 
that  he  achieved. 


CULTIVATION  OF  CORDIAL  RELATIONS 

WHATEVER  be  the  underlying  purpose  or 
motive  of  those  who  have  seen  fit  to  sub 
ject  Booker  T.  Washington  to  criticism  and 
animadversion,  the  great  fact  of  his  successful  career 
is  now  a  matter  of  history.  In  trailing  the  successive 
steps  of  his  life  even  up  to  this  time,  it  seems  impos 
sible  not  to  commend  that  which  was  done.  He  was 
not  a  noisy  man,  he  was  free  from  ostentation,  sought 
no  special  methods  to  bring  himself  into  notice,  and 
when  he  spoke,  whether  to  his  own  race  or  to  the 
whites,  he  was  listened  to  with  profound  interest, 
because  he  spoke  words  of  wisdom  that  none  could 
gainsay.  All  heard  him  gladly,  and  only  when  his 
language  was  subjected  to  microscopic  sharp-sighted- 
ness  and  tortured  into  meaning  other  than  that  which 
he  sought  to  convey,  was  there  ever  a  question  raised. 
A  few  times,  but  only  a  few,  were  his  utterances  chal 
lenged.  He  spoke  both  South  and  North,  before  all 
classes  of  people,  spoke  openly  on  all  subjects,  often 
trenching  on  grounds  the  most  sensitive  where  there 
were  ears  eager  to  detect  the  slightest  insincerity  to 
the  people  of  the  entire  nation;  but  never  was  anyone 
able  to  force  into  his  lips,  even  by  the  most  tortuous 
misinterpretation,  anything  unbecoming.  Speaking 

138 


CORDIAL  RELATIONS  139 

freely  on  so  many  occasions  when  he  might  have 
slipped  into  unbecoming  speech,  it  is  amazing  that  he 
did  not  at  times  fall  into  erroneous  diction,  but  no 
such  instance  is  to  be  found. 

The  reason  of  this  lies  in  the  fact  that,as  a -man  o£ 
sincerity  he  always  spoke  the  truth.  While  it  may 
have  been,  at  times,  distasteful  to  some,  that  was  no 
fault  of  his,  if  fault  there  was.  The  truth,  and  not 
Washington,  was  responsible  for  itself.  Whatever 
else  may  be  susceptible  to  answer,  a  fact  never  is.  It 
shines  by  its  own  light.  If  he  won  the  confidence  of 
the  white  race,  he  did  it  with  honest  speech  and  an 
honest  Yiifc.  He  condoned  nothing.  He  was  not  a 
mendicant  at  the  feet  of  offenders.  He  was  careful, 
and  therein  lay  his  wisdom.  ,. 

The  policy  pursued  by  Principal  Washington  in  \ 
studiously  seeking  to  maintain  cordial  relations  with 
the  white  race  evoked  not  a  little  adverse  criticism,  / 
especially  from  members  of  his  own  race.  To  this 
criticism  there  may  be  given  two  answers,  one  of 
which  is  that  the  result  is  in  vindication  of  his  policy. 
He  overcame  existing  difficulties,  and  gave  to  the 
colored  people  a  propulsion  forward  far  in  excess 
of  anything  done  by  any  other  of  the  race.  Complaint 
and  criticism  may  be  cheap,  while  that  which  he  ac 
complished  was  most  difficult  of  performance.  The 
complaint  lodged  against  Washington  that  he  fawned 
and  cringed  at  the  feet  of  the  white  race  in  order 


to  obtain  financial  aid  in  the  prosecution  of  his  work, 
seems  strained,  both  because  of  the  character  of  the 
contributors  and  the  occasion  of  the  gifts.  The  lib- 


140    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

eral  donors  to  Tuskegee  were  not  of  the  type  of  men 
and  women  who  could  be  wheedled  or  cajoled  into 
the  gift  of  large  sums  of  money,  nor,  again,  would  the 
donations  be  made  by  them  to  a  cause  that  did  not 
commend  itself  by  undoubted  merit.  The  reflection 
is  thus  really  diverted  from  Washington  to  the  liberal 
contributors  to  the  work  at  Tuskegee.  In  addition, 
the  critics  do  Washington  much  unintentional  honor 
in  assuming  that  by  the  exercise  of  a  magical  force 
he  could  extort  these  liberal  sums  from  the  most  cau 
tious  of  givers. 

If  the  basis  of  the  adverse  criticism  and  complaint 
be  that  by  compromise,  adulation,  or  fawning  Wash 
ington  was  content  to  disregard  the  claims  of  a  great 
and  needy  race  in  the  promotion  of  his  personal  am 
bition  as  the  founder  of  Tuskegee,  then  we  have  a 
mere  theory  contradicted  by  an  undeniable  fact.  That 
Washington  did  succeed  in  establishing  a  great  col 
lege  at  Tuskegee  the  effects  of  which  are  immense  to 
his  race,  is  beyond  dispute.  That  he  not  only  estab 
lished  the  school,  but  that  it  is  a  standard  of  race  ele 
vation  is  beyond  denial.  That  in  accomplishing  this, 
he  at  the  same  time  wrought  a  marvelous  change  in 
race  relationship  is  unquestioned.  That  any  other 
course  than  that  adopted  would  have  fallen  short 
of  these  results,  seems  clear.  That  which  was  actu 
ally  achieved  phenomenally,  and  a  theoretical  com 
plaint,  are  thus  set  over  against  each  other. 

Booker  T.  Washington  was  sometimes  severely  ar 
raigned  for  not  more  openly  espousing  the  cause  of 
his  people  in  the  South,  with  respect  to  much  from 


CORDIAL  RELATIONS  141 

which  they  suffered  socially,  politically,  and  other 
wise.  The  charge,  sometimes  implied,  and  again  pro\ 
nounced,  is  that  because  of  the  position  in  public' 
confidence  attained  by  him,  loyalty  on  his  part  de 
manded  that  he  be  heard  in  a  more  emphatic  way  than 
he  was,  and  that  his  silence  was  due  to  sinister  motives 
of  undue  if  not  treacherous  deference  to  the  white 
race.  That  this  is  as  utterly  void  of  foundation  in. 
fact  as  that  already  challenged  can  be  clearly  shown. 
That  injustice  is  done  the  colored  race  is  a  fact 
lamentably  true,  and  a  matter  of  common  knowledge. 
That  this  injustice  is  often  imposed  for  no  other  rea 
son  than  that  of  race  aversion,  is  also  a  fact.  That, 
politically,  this  injustice  is  manifested  in  the  indis 
criminate  disfranchisement  of  the  blacks,  without  re 
spect  to  merit,  is  also  true.  That,  though  sought  to 
be  ingeniously  disguised  in  ambiguous  phraseology  and 
vague  terminology,  the  fact  remains  of  the  existence 
of  taxation  without  representation,  and  more  besides 
which  is  in  utter  disregard  of  the  constitution,  is  a  fact 
that  cannot  be  denied.  That  injustice  and  forceful 
cruelty  are  officially  unseen  in  instances  not  a  few,  is 
beyond  denial.  None  recognize  these  conditions  more 
promptly  than  do  thousands  of  the  best  white  repre 
sentatives  in  the  states  of  the  South,  and  in  tones  not 
to  be  mistaken,  they  have  inveighed  against  them ;  and 
while  these  conditions  are  slackening  in  their  virulence, 
it  is  a  reflection  on  American  civilization  that  they 
exist  at  all,  and  the  more  so  that  they  should  have  had 
a  sway  so  wanton  in  the  past;  but  the  condition  is 
here,  and  must  be  met  not  as  a.  theory  but  as  a  fact. 


142    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

The  problem  created  by  a  total  disregard  of  the  sanc 
tity  of  official  oath  and  by  wanton  murder  under  the 
sham  guise  of  chivalry,  and  the  entertainment  of 
antipathy  for  a  reason  no  higher  than  that  of  the 
pigment  of  complexion,  is  one  far  in  excess  of  an  at 
tempted  shift  of  responsibility  by  dubbing  the  difficulty 
a  "  race  problem."  If  there  be  a  race  problem  the 
Negro  is  not  responsible  for  it,  for  from  the  outset 
his  position  has  been  of  enforced  passivity  and  victim 
ization  which  must  ultimately  appeal  to  a  higher  than 
human  tribunal,  and  which  must  just  as  ultimately 
result  in  retribution;  but  up  to  this  time  this  appeal 
seems  to  have  been  of  slight  avail.  Eminent  white 
men  have  stood  bravely  on  the  floors  of  constitu 
tional  conventions  in  solemn  protest  of  these  wrongs, 
and  have  sought  to  stay  the  drastic  framing  of  funda 
mental  law  by  the  wholesale  and  indiscriminate  adop- 
tipn  of  such  absurd  provisions  as  "  grandfather 
clauses,"  but  have  failed.  ,  Men  like  these  could  do  so 
with  immunity,  but  a  colored  man,  no  matter  who  he 
be,  could  not.  It  boots  absolutely  nothing  to  say  that 
a  procedure  like  this  is  unjust  and  should  not  be,  and 
that  is  precisely  what  was  said  by  fair  and  fearless 
men,  but  all  the  same,  the  constitutions  were  adopted. 
That  an  august  court  of  the  nation,  presided  over  by 
an  ex-Confederate  officer,  is,  in  the  exercise  of  sheer 
justice,  squaring  enactments  like  the  ones  alluded  to  in 
the  constitution,  is  a  matter  of  some  relief,  but  that  is 
only  recent. 

Denounce  the  whole  system,  if  one  may,  it  is  never 
theless  the  will  of  the  majority,  ancj  that  is  the  genius 


CORDIAL  RELATIONS  143 

of  democracy.  The  present  writer  bows  with  servility 
to  no  sentiment  when  he  expresses  the  conviction,  as 
he  has  frequently  done,  that  the  line  of  the  right  of 
enfranchisement  should  not  be  one  of  race  or  color, 
but  one  of  character.  Civilized  progress  can  proceed 
on  no  other  basis.  It  is  an  utterly  indefensible  pro 
cedure  to  turn  away  a  man  of  culture  and  of  edu 
cation,  one  of  good  repute  and  of  property,  because 
his  face  is  black  or  yellow,  while  an  ignorant,  un 
worthy,  and  incompetent  man  is  permitted  to  vote  be 
cause  his  face  happens  to  be  white.  To  make  reply  to 
this  that  the  one  is  a  white  man  and  the  other  a 
Negro,  is  childish  aversion  too  petty  to  be  seriously 
answered. 

Dr.   Washington  was   in   a   position  to  do   man 
things,  and  do  them  well,  for  the  benefit  of  both  races, 
but  he  was  not  in  a  position  to  do  everything  that 
needed  to  be  done,  nor  was  any  other  of  either  race. 
He  pushed  his  way  to  great  success  and  nobly  achieved 
by  many  successive  steps  against  odds  the  fiercest. 
Had  he  even  sought  to  comply  with  the  implied  re\ 
quirements  of  his  critics  respecting  the  political  con-\ 
ditions  of  his  people  in  the  South,  that  which  he  was  I 
doing  would  have  ignobly  failed.    The  vials  of  wrath' 
would  have  been  unstopped,  and  Booker  T.  Washing 
ton  would  have  been  obliterated,  and  Tuskegee  would 
not  be.     If  there  be  a  commendation  of  his  wisdom 
for  any  one  thing  more  than  for  another,  it  is  that 
he  abstained  from  giving  utterance  to  the  things  im- 
pliedly  demanded  by  his  opponents. 

The  case  would  have  been  vastly  different  had  he 


144    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

openly  and  avowedly  endorsed  all  this  procedure. 
Then  the  charge  of  disloyalty  might  have  been  laid 
at  his  doorsteps.  Then  might  he  have  been  charged 
with  treachery.  But  none  of  these  things  he  did. 
There  never  came  a  juncture  when  he  did  not  do  all 
that  was  possible.  To  many  things  he  had  to  submit 
in  silence  because  at  the  time  silence  was  golden.  He 
was  on  the  ground,  was  a  Southern  man,  knew  South 
ern  sentiment  from  close  observation  and  study,  was 
a  profound  student  of  the  most  minute  of  current 
affairs,  loved  his  race,  as  his  career  shows,  and  deduced 
his  conclusions  as  the  man  of  wisdom  that  he  was. 

That  he  was  not  indifferent  to  certain  junctures 
which  here  and  there  arose  was  illustrated  by  his  con 
duct  when  into  the  constitution  of  Alabama,  the  state 
of  his  adoption,  there  was  incorporated  the  "  grand 
father  clause  "  which  many  of  the  ablest  elements  of 
the  convention  resisted,  and  afterward,  in  a  canvass  of 
the  state,  sought  to  defeat,  Washington  said  that  the 
high  standard  of  citizenship  erected  for  the  attainment 
of  the  Negro  should  incite  him  to  fresher  endeavor  to 
attain  to  it,  and  should  not  occasion  undue  discourage 
ment.  This  was  far  from  servile  acquiescence  in  the 
'measure,  and  far  removed  from  treachery.  He  knew 
the  situation,  and  would  not  sacrifice  the  possibility 
of  doing  great  good  in  many  ways,  by  unwisely  and 
even  uselessly  inveighing  against  the  impossible.  He 
was  too  wise  a  man  for  that. 

Yet  in  total  disregard  of  all  the  conditions  involved, 
Washington  was  made  a  target  of  unjustifiable  criti 
cism  because  he  did  not  unwisely  pronounce  himself 


CORDIAL  RELATIONS  145 

openly  against  these  things  which  could  have  resulted 
not  only  in  failure  of  attempt,  but  which  would  have 
eventuated  in  undoing  his  superior  work.  There  are 
some  reformations  and  corrections  of  abuses  for  which 
the  world  will  have  to  wait.  There  are  lagging  con 
ditions  which  need  to  be  brought  up  abreast  of  those 
now  in  advance.  The  condition  already  described  is 
one  of  them.  To  seek  to  pluck  the  fruit  before  it  is 
ripe  is  to  do  no  one  good.  By  his  reserved  silence  on 
some  things,  Booker  T.  Washington  was  neither  cow 
ardly  nor  sycophantic,  but  he  was  wise  and  level 
headed. 

Take  the  matter  of  lynching.    If  he  had  denounceoN 
it  as  a  recrudescence  of  savagery,  he  would  have  been  1 
correct.     Had  he  designated  it  as  murder,  he  would/ 
have  done  no  more  than  to  give  expression  to  that 
which  is  contained  in  the  statutes  of  the  codes  of  both 
human  and  divine  origin,  but  it  would  possibly  have 
cost  him  his  life.     He  kept  a  faithful  record  of  the  \ 
number  and  character  of  the  outbreaks  of  violence 
called  lynchings,  and  at  the  end  of  every  year  would 
publish  them  to  the  world,  thus  educating  public  sen 
timent.     It  may  be  claimed  that  this  was  a  cold  pro 
cedure,  but  what  more  could  he  do?     There  was  no 
possible  chance  of  activity  or  of  interference  on  his 
part  at  the  time  of  the  commission  of  these  crimes. 

So,  throughout  his  career,  from  the  outset  to  the  close, 
Dr.  Washington  sought  to  preserve  the  best  possible 
relations  between  the  two  races  living  in  close  neigh 
borly  touch,  and  so  taught  his  people.  To  him  it  was  a 
study  of  the  best  and  most  effectual  means  of  doing 


146    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

•* 

this.  More  than  once  the  effort  was  made  to  show 
that  he  sold  the  rights  and  principles  of  his  people  for 
a  mess  of  pottage,  when,  in  truth,  all  his  life  lay 
in  the  other  direction.  He  never  lost  an  opportunity 
to  urge  a  plea  in  their  behalf,  nor  was  there  ever  ces- 
ition  of  effort  to  improve  their  condition.  Had  he 
adopted  the  policy  urged  by  those  who  could  so  easily 
criticise,  and  who  insisted  that  he  should  do  so  in 
virtue  of  his  opportunity,  his  career  would  have  ended, 
and  that  which  the  race  so  munificently  reaped  in  con 
sequence  of  his  life,  would  have  been  lost.  The  in 
stance  was  never  known  of  his  being  before  white 
audiences  when  he  did  not  present  with  telling  effect 
the  strongest  pleas  in  behalf  of  his  people.  This  was 
sometimes  done  good-humoredly  and  with  not  a  little 
sly  irony,  but  it  would  prevail  when  other  methods 

r would  fail.  Had  he,  instead,  been  violent,  or  even 
offensive,  he  would  have  cut  short  his  career,  obliter 
ated  his  influence,  and  undone  that  already  achieved. 
His  method  of  emphasizing  the  prevailing  disparage 
ment  and  inequality  of  advantage  between  the  two 
races,  was  illustrated  in  an  address  before  a  crowded 
house,  composed  of  members  of  both  races,  in  Atlanta, 
several  years  before  his  death. 

The  largest  theater  in  the  city  had  been  procured, 
and  both  races  were  interested  in  his  visit,  which  was 
extensively  advertised.  In  the  course  of  his  remarks 
on  that  occasion,  he  alluded  to  the  struggles  and  dis 
advantages  of  his  people,  in  the  race  for  education. 
Taking  up  the  report  of  the  superintendent  of  educa 
tion  of  Georgio,  he  quoted  the  figures  of  the  amount 


CORDIAL  RELATIONS  147 

appropriated  to  the  industrial  education  of  the  whites, 
and  in  contrast  read  out  the  amount  given  to  the 
colored  schools,  an  amount  much  less.     With  a  char 
acteristic  smile  he  laid  the  copy  of  the  report  down 
and  naively  said  that  he  knew  his  race  was  rapidly 
increasing  in  importance,  but  did  not  before  know  that 
it  had  so  distanced  the  white  race  that  it  required  so 
much  more   to   sustain  the   white  schools   than  the 
colored  ones !    The  bit  of  irony  was  so  keen  and  the 
insinuation  so  clever  that  it  evoked  a  roar  of  laughter 
and  round  after  round  of  applause  in  which  both  races 
equally  joined.     It  amused  while  it  cut  like  a  rapierN 
and  had  a  most  telling  effect.     That  hit  of  genuine  J 
wit  and  of  sound  wisdom  was  widely  quoted  and  be-  I 
came  an  effective  agent  of  good.  / 

He  surrendered  nothing,  gave  up  no  conviction,  but 
was  ever  studious  of  ways  and  means  for  the  promo 
tion  of  the  interests  of  his  people.  He  was  his  own 
counselor  as  to  huw  this  should  be  done.  That  he 
may  at  times  have  erred,  is  admitted.  It  would  have 
been  extraordinary  had  he  not,  but  when  the  multi 
plicity  of  situations  into  which  he  was  brought  is 
understood,  and  the  aggregate  of  the  results  is  had, 
his  errors  appear  negligible  in  contrast  with  his  ex 
traordinary  success.  Like  the  lithe  sapling  of  his  own 
Southern  forests,  he  bent  to  the  storm  while  it  raged, 
and  when  it  was  spent,  he  was  still  standing  upright, 
while  stubborn  trunks,  in  attempting  to  withstand  its 
fury,  fell  By  methods  of  his  own  devisement  he  was 
constantly  injecting  important  lessons  into  the  situa 
tion.  His  people,  from  the  beginning  at  Tuskegee, 


148    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

yes,  as  far  back  as  Hampton,  were  the  supreme  concern 
of  his  life.  He  often  asserted  before  white  audiences 
that  he  was  proud  of  being  a  Negro,  and  he  besought 
his  people  to  cultivate  race  loyalty  and  pride,  not  vain- 
gloriousness,  and  to  make  the  race,  though  now  back 
ward  and  young,  one  of  which  every  member  could 
be  proud.  By  means  like  these  he  commended  his 
people  to  the  other  race,  disarmed  suspicion  and  criti 
cism,  and  won  his  way  to  the  esteem  of  the  best  of  the 
white  race.  He  taught  the  interdependence  of  the  two 
peoples  living  in  immediate  contact,  and  that  the 
merits  or  demerits  of  the  one  would  react  on  the 
other. 

Illustrations  of  the  effect  of  a  policy  like  this  were 
abundant,  even,  in  the  beginning  of  the  history  of 
Tuskegee  Institute.  As  intensity  of  interest  increased, 
the  young  blacks  continued  to  come  to  Tuskegee,  so 
that  it  was  evident  that  a  large  new  building  was 
necessary — the  first  to  be  erected.  As  before,  no 
visible  means  were  at  his  command,  not  a  cent,  and 
there  was  no  substantial  prospect  of  obtaining  the 
necessary  quarters.  However  the  new  building  be 
came  a  topic  of  general  conversation,  not  only  among 
the  colored  people,  but  among  the  whites  as  well,  and 
the  discussion  made  it  popular.  The  cramped  quarters 
and  meager  means  of  instruction  at  his  command  be 
gat  sympathy  in  pace  with  the  growth  of  public  in 
terest.  The  necessity  had  become  extreme,  and  much 
to  his  surprise,  he  was  visited  by  a  prominent  white 
citizen  who  owned  a  mill  some  miles  away,  who  pro 
posed  to  the  heroic  teacher  that  he  would  haul  all  the 


CORDIAL  RELATIONS  149 

lumber  needed  for  the  new  building,  place  it  on  the 
ground,  and  give  him  his  own  time  in  which  to  pay 
for  it.  While  the  Principal  expressed  his  gratitude 
for  an  offer  so  generous,  he  frankly  told  the  mill  man 
that  he  had  no  means  at  command,  and  no  prospect 
of  any,  and  doubted  the  wisdom  of  assuming  a  risk  so 
great.  But  the  mill  owner  insisted  on  doing  it,  and 
within  a  few  days  the  lumber  was  stacked  on  the 
ground. 

This  meant  a  revival  of  the  suspended  interest  on 
the  part  of  the  collectors  and  solicitors  of  the  school. 
Dr.  Washington  and  his  able  assistant,  Miss  David 
son,  at  once  began  a  campaign  of  activity  to  raise  the 
required  amount.  A  public  meeting  of  the  colored 
people  was  held  in  behalf  of  the  movement,  to  which 
a  lively  impulse  was  given  by  a  Negro  laborer  from 
the  country,  who  happened  to  be  present;  when  the 
appeal  was  made  he  arose  and  contributed  two  large 
hogs  to  aid  in  the  erection  of  the  proposed  building, 
and  in  illiterate  eloquence,  pleaded  with  his  people  to 
unite  in  sacrifice  and  devotion  for  the  successful  erec 
tion  of  the  first  building.  The  effect  was  electrical 
and  the  result  most  beneficial  to  the  Negroes  resid 
ing  in  that  region.  This  incident  is  mentioned  in 
order  to  indicate  the  trifling  means  at  the  command  of 
Washington  at  a  critical  juncture  of  the  school,  and 
to  show  the  influence  which  he  was  acquiring  over  his 
people. 

Little  by  little  money  was  collected  and  husbanded 
by  Dr.  Washington  and  his  assistant,  and  the  walls  of 
the  new  building  began  to  rise.  It  is  due  to  the  liberal 


150    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

gifts  of  Mr.  A.  H.  Porter,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York, 
that  requisite  funds  were  made  available  for  the  com 
pletion  of  this  much-needed  edifice.  In  recognition 
of  the  timely  benefaction,  the  building  which  still 
stands  as  a  monument  to  his  liberality,  bears  the  name 
of  Porter  Hall. 

The  straits  to  which  Washington  was  frequently 
subjected  were  illustrated  in  connection  with  the  erec 
tion  of  this  first  building.  His  people  had  an  unen 
viable  reputation  of  incurring  debts  with  a  disposition 
to  ignore  them.  Washington  found  this  to  be  one  of 
the  chief  sources  of  the  existing  troubles  between  the 
races.  He  resolved  by  a  course  of  promptness  in 
meeting  his  obligations  to  demonstrate  to  the  whites 
how  honest  a  Negro  may  be,  and  thus  set  an  example 
worthy  of  emulation  by  his  own  people.  It  so  hap 
pened  that  a  note  for  $400  was  due  on  a  given  day, 
and  when  it  was  made,  there  was  every  indication  of 
his  ability  to  meet  it.  The  day  preceding  that  on 
which  the  note  was  to  be  met,  came,  and  Washington 
had  not  a  cent.  To  the  young  man  it  was  an  occa 
sion  of  agony.  Not  only  would  his  reputation  be  in 
volved  by  his  failure  to  meet  his  promise,  but  his 
example  to  his  people  would  vanish.  The  night  before 
the  day  of  the  maturity  of  the  note  was  one  of  sleep 
lessness.  Morning  came,  and  there  was  no  prospect 
of  his  ability  to  take  up  the  note.  The  mail  from  the 
east  reached  the  institute  at  ten  in  the  morning,  and 
in  the  mass  of  letters  received  was  one  from  his  in 
defatigable  assistant,  Miss  Davidson,  containing  a 
check  for  just  $400!  More  than  once  in  his  heroic 


CORDIAL  RELATIONS  151 

struggles  were  his  faith  and  courage  thus  signally  re 
warded. 

In  the  erection  of  this  new  building  Washington 
continued  to  put  into  execution  his  well-defined  plan 
of  accomplishing  a  double  result  by  having  the  stu 
dents  perform  the  labor.  By  building  this  hall  they 
would  be  able  to  meet  their  personal  expenses  while 
erecting  the  structure  which  they  so  much  needed. 
The  reluctance  of  some  of  the  colored  teachers  from 
the  country  to  engage  in  manual  service,  was  the  more 
pronounced  because  they  had  long  ago  divorced  them 
selves  from  such  in  the  rural  regions  whence  they  came 
and  had  betaken  themselves  to  the  dignified  pursuit  of 
teaching.  To  have  it  understood  at  home  that  a  young 
colored  teacher  had  engaged  them  in  manual  labor, 
under  the  guise  of  a  college  course,  was  more  than 
had  been  bargained  for.  But  Washington  had 
tact  in  demonstrating  the  wisdom  of  his  policy  with 
out  much  ado,  and  the  work  went  on.  Besides  thev 
results  already  named,  this  course  on  the  part  of  Wash-  \ 
ington  had  the  direct  effect  of  disabusing  the  minds 
of  the  whites  of  the  superficiality  and  artificiality  of  / 
Negro  education.  He  banished  prejudice  while  de-  / 
veloping  the  minds  and  characters  of  his  people.  / 


A 


XI 

THE  INTEREST  DEEPENS 

GENERAL    survey   of    the    situation    in    the 
South  at  this  period  will  serve  to  show  the 
growing  success  of  Booker  T.  Washington  in 
his  novel  undertaking,  under  conditions  so  embarrass 
ing.     By  the  advent  of  1882,  a  lull  had  come  in  the 
disorder  which  had  so  long  reigned  in  the  states  of 
the  South.     In  recognition  of  the  now  clearly  inevi 
table,  the  people  had  begun  to  discuss  the  matter  of 
"  accepting  the  situation,"   which  was  only  another 
way  of  saying  that  they  would  set  themselves  to  the 
work  of  adjustment  to  new  conditions.     A  new  gen- 
\      eration  was  coming  to  manhood  and  to  the  assump- 
l     tion  of  the  responsibility  of  public  affairs,  and  the 
\   disposition  to  face  things  squarely  was  rapidly  ob 
taining.     Tjit  idea  of  seeking  to  bring  the  immigrant 
<   from  southern  Europe  as  a  laborer  was  disappearing, 
\  and  the  black  man  was  coming  to  be  recognized  as 
xthe  only  one  who  was  adapted  to  Southern  sentiment 
and  to  the  tillage  of  Southern  soils. 

In  some  instances  colored  men  were  beginning  to 
demonstrate  their  force  by  the  purchase  of  land  and 
by  successful  tillage.  The  colored  man  was  fast  gain 
ing  self-reliance.  The  former  slave  was  not  only  buy- 

152 


THE  INTEREST  DEEPENS  153 

V 

ing  land  on  terms  satisfactory  both  to  himself  and  the 
original  owner,  but  he  was  building  his  homes,  stock 
ing  his  farms,  establishing  his  churches  and  schools, 
and  tilling  the  land  with  increasing  intelligence.     A     \ 
few  educated  colored  ministers  began  to  appear  here 
and  there,  in  place  of  the  noisy  and  frantic  class  whose 
emotionalism  had  too  long  prevailed  as  a  dominant 
feature  of  worship,  while  Tuskegee,  as  a  lighthouse 
in  a  dark  and  stormy  sea,  lent  increasing  relief  to  the    / 
scene. 

Political  agitation  was  still  rampant,  there  had 
come  on  the  scene  a  new  class  of  politicians.  The 
Southern  politician  prior  to  the  war  had  usually  been 
of  the  highest  type  of  society,  a  gentleman  of  leisure, 
to  whom  politics  was  somewhat  of  a  diversion  in  the 
humdrum  of  life,  but  nevertheless,  from  pride  if  from 
no  higher  motive,  an  efficient  officer.  That  class,  once 
the  wealthiest,  was  now  more  concerned  about  a  liveli 
hood  and  the  rehabilitation  of  the  country,  while  the" 
man  of  lesser  note  and  of  much  less  force,  had  come  to 
the  front  as  a  seeker  of  political  honor.  He  was  gen 
erally  intent  on  popularity,  no  matter  at  what  cost, 
and  while  worthy  men  were  still  retained  as  repre 
sentatives  of  the  people,  those  of  the  secondary  class 
predominated.  Here  was  a  turning-point  in  the  po 
litical  dominance  of  the  South  in  the  councils  of  the 
nation. 

This  lesser  class  found  an  apt  slogan  in  the  race 
question,  and  it  was  resounded  from  every  quarter, 
to  the  detriment  of  the  Negro.  He  was  the  usual  text 
and  topic  of  the  ordinary  stump  orator.  The  topic  was 


154    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

a  superficial  one  and  therefore  well  adapted  to  his 
mentality,  hence  he  used  it  with  not  a  little  vocifera 
tion.  It  was  through  this  means  that  not  a  few  cheap 
men  found  their  way  into  position,  some  coming  to 
occupy  the  highest  places.  Nor  is  the  end  yet  with 
some  of  that  class. 

Out  of  the  conditions  of  that  period  grew  a  situa 
tion  most  lamentable.  The  prevailing  sentiment  fa 
vored  nullifying  the  vote  of  the  Negro,  by  any  means 
suggested,  and  thus  it  was  popular,  in  making  the 
returns  of  a  given  election,  to  count  the  Negro  out. 
The  enfranchisement  of  the  ignorant  blacks  was  an 
undoubted  political  blunder,  fully  as  detrimental  to 
the  colored  race  as  to  the  white,  till  the  colored  man 
^ould  come  to  know  the  significance  of  the  ballot. 
Yet  the  wholesale  demoralization  of  young  white  men 
who  prided  themselves  on  stealing  votes  and  stuffing 
ballot-boxes,  brought  results  from  which  the  South  is 
still  suffering.  If  there  was  no  logical  justification  in 
the  vote  being  placed  in  incompetent  hands,  equally 
there  was  none  in  the  wholesale  demoralization  then 
overlooked  and  indirectly  encouraged. 

These  conditions  are  recalled  to  keep  within  sight 
of  the  situation  at  that  time.  These  facts,  however 
unpleasant  now  in  their  retrospection,  represent  the 
strenuous  times  in  the  South  at  that  period. 

From  these  facts  may  be  seen  the  difficulty  en 
countered  by  a  young  man  of  the  despised  race  who, 
while  not  openly  resisting  this  condition,  was  seeking 
to  avert  the  results,  so  far  as  he  might,  from  his 
own  disadvantaged  people.  One  of  the  worst  features 


THE  INTEREST  DEEPENS  155 

was  the  example  set  by  the  dominant  race.  The 
colored  man,  accused  of  being  a  servile  imitator,  un 
fortunately  imitated  the  worst  examples  quite  as  much 
as  the  best.  To  turn  their  eyes  away  from  scenes  like 
these  was  the  task  of  the  young  colored  reformer  at 
Tuskegee.  To  bring  cheer  in  the  gloom  of  despond 
ency,  is  not  easy  for  any  man,  and  especially 
formidable  was  it  to  a  young  Negro.  Yet,  in  spite  of 
the  worst  conditions,  he  kept  heart  and  labored  un 
ceasingly  on.  Had  it  been  possible  at  a  period  like 
this  for  some  towering  white  leader  to  rise,  and  with 
conciliatory  spirit  and  by  the  pointing  of  the  unerring 
finger  toward  the  right,  direct  both  races  to  different 
courses,  the  situation  in  the  South  to-day  would  be 
much  improved.  To  say  that  it  was  impossible,  by 
any  means,  to  bring  about  a  change  for  the  better, 
was  concretely  answered  at  Tuskegee. 

Amid  all  these  conditions,  Washington  acted  with 
consummate  wisdom  and  extraordinary  foresight. 
At  this  distance  he  glitters  like  a  star  in  the  darkness 
of  that  time.  No  matter  what  took  place,  he  stood 
with  the  steadfastness  of  a  Roman  sentinel,  and  con 
tinued  his  fundamental  work  for  his  race.  He  drilled 
a  pioneer  army  which  would  one  day  be  able  to  demon 
strate  to  the  world  the  capability  of  his  people  and 
demonstrate  it  by  actual  deed.  To  him  this  was 
infinitely  better  than  to  go  on  the  stump  and  with 
ravings  and  pleadings  uselessly  spend  his  force  by 
word  of  mouth.  An  attempt  of  that  kind  would  have 
fallen  on  leaden  ears  and  enraged  sentiment.  Dis 
counted  as  he  may  have  been  at  the  time  by  some, 


156    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

his  wisdom  stands  vindicated  through  the  vista  of 
years. 

No  thoughtful  man  will  say,  at  this  distant  day, 
that  this  young  teacher,  trainer,  leader,  and  reformer 
was  not  wiser  than  his  generation.  No  one  will  now 
assert  that  he  did  not  with  prophetic  and  philosophic 
ken  recognize  that  actual  worth  would  stand  appraised, 
when  duly  demonstrated  by  his  people,  while  theory 
would  take  to  itself  a  thousand  wings  and  fly  away. 
Who  does  not  recognize  the  wisdom  that  he  displayed 
when  he  insisted  that  merit  would  force  its  own  recog 
nition  and  appreciation,  though  it  be  wrapped  in  a 
dark  skin?  Now  that  the  questions  of  more  than 
three  decades  ago  can  be  approached  fairly  free  from 
partisan  bias,  historic  appraisal  may  be  awarded  the 
conspicuous  actors  in  that  disturbed  drama.  Now  that 
Booker  T.  Washington  has  wrought  and  gone,  and  the 
tomb  seals  in  silence  his  tongue,  and  his  spirit  of  con 
ciliation  has  passed,  let  the  truth  in  its  fullness  be 
spoken  without  reservation,  and  in  no  uncertain  way. 

Returning  to  his  cherished  project  at  Tuskegee,  we 
follow  for  the  time  the  successive  steps  of  its  develop 
ment.  He  enters  on  his  second  year.  He  is  yet  gen 
erally  unknown  save  to  a  few  friends  here  and  there 
about  the  North  to  whom  Miss  Davidson  has  been 
able  so  to  present  the  situation  at  the  South  and  espe 
cially  at  Tuskegee,  as  to  enlist  slight  sympathy. 
Weary  and  footsore  she  had  tramped  the  streets  of 
different  cities,  told  the  story  of  struggle  and  sacri 
fice  both  of  the  builders  of  the  school  and  of  those 
who  came  to  learn,  and  succeeded  now  and  then  in 


THE  INTEREST  DEEPENS  157 

procuring  a  small  amount  to  go  at  once  into  the  work. 
The  uncouth  boys  and  girls,  together  with  those  of 
more  mature  years,  continued  to  go  to  Tuskegee  from 
the  plantations,  increasing  all  along  the  embarrassment 
of  the  founder,  and  thus  the  struggle  went  on. 

During  the  second  year  of  the  school  there  was 
apparent  one  fact  which  gave  great  encouragement  to 
the  Principal,  and  that  was  the  growing  loyalty  of 
these  rude  students  to  the  cause  which  could  hardly 
as  yet  be  called  a  school.  There  was  a  recognition 
of  their  identity  with  the  school.  It  had  now  become 
their  school.  The  labor  expended  by  them  in  making 
it  had  enlisted  their  interest,  and  had  the  moral  effect 
of  identifying  each  boy  and  girl,  no  matter  how 
crude  at  first,  with  every  interest  there  fostered.  Not 
the  slightest  abuse  of  the  property,  not  even  deface 
ment  of  the  rude  walls,  was  tolerated  by  these  black 
youths  who  found  pleasure  in  alluding  to  "  our  build 
ings  "  and  "  our  school."  Loyalty  to  the  location  was 
already  budding,  much  to  the  gratification  of  the 
young  Principal.  With  acute  observation  he  noted  the 
germination  of  sentiment  like  this,  and  took  fresh 
courage. 

The  first  crop  gathered  from  the  soil  adjacent  to 
the  premises  was  not  large,  but  it  was  exceedingly 
helpful  in  the  replenishment  of  the  food  supplies, 
while  the  moral  worth  of  the  labor  to  the  pupils  was 
of  even  more  profit.  Washington  was  not  slow  to 
learn  that  in  the  latitude  of  Tuskegee,  vegetables  of 
some  kind  would  grow  any  month  in  the  year,  and 
having  abundant  land  he  would  turn  it  to  profitable 


158    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

account.  While  he  was  making  men  and  women  of 
the  rough  material  which  came  to  him  from  the  planta 
tions,  he  was  also  making  sturdy  character  by  train 
ing  them  in  the  practical  arts.  In  this  training  lay 
the  redemption  of  his  people. 

On  the  part  of  Washington  there  was  a  homely 
insistence  on  industrial  expansion.  On  the  land  bought 
was  an  abundance  of  brick  clay,  and  be  undertook  the 
manufacture  of  bricks,  though  ignorant  of  the  art. 
He  tried  twice,  and  failed.  The  third  attempt  would 
have  succeeded,  but  the  kiln  collapsed  just  before  the 
bricks  were  fully  burned.  Each  effort  was  attended 
by  increasing  signs  of  rebellion  on  the  part  of  the 
students.  Brick-making  was  severe  drudgery,  and 
for  three  successive  times  their  labor  had  come  to 
naught.  Some  were  disposed  to  quit  outright  and 
return  home.  Others  wrote  home  in  complaint  of  the 
drudgery,  and  the  Principal  was  taken  to  sharp  ac 
count  for  his  treatment  of  boys  and  girls  who  were 
sent  to  college,  and  not  to  slavish  labor.  Irate  parents 
notified  him  that  their  children  were  no  longer  slaves 
and  were  sent  to  Tuskegee  to  study.  He  replied  in 
consolatory  and  encouraging  terms  which  satisfied 
some,  but  not  all.  If  a  student  withdrew,  he  indicated 
by  thus  doing  that  he  was  not  of  the  class  that  Wash 
ington  wished,  and  his  place  was  soon  filled  by  another 
who  would  conform  to  the  regulations. 

After  some  delay  in  the  matter  of  brick-making, 
Washington  resolved  to  make  still  another  effort. 
Not  only  did  the  students  protest,  but  some  of  the 
teachers  joined  in  objecting  to  a  fourth  attempt  as 


THE  INTEREST  DEEPENS  159 

futile,  claiming  it  had  been  demonstrated  that  brick- 
making  could  not  be  done  at  Tuskegee.  But  assum 
ing  the  responsibility,  Washington  determined  again 
to  try.  His  money  had  given  out,  and  he  was  sorely 
pressed  for  just  a  few  dollars  with  which  to  make 
another  experiment.  Going  to  Montgomery,  he  found 
that  he  could  pawn  his  watch  for  fifteen  dollars,  an 
amount  sufficient  for  the  fourth  experiment.  With 
this  amount  he  again  tried,  and  was  vindicated  in  his 
judgment  by  the  success  of  the  effort — and  now  he  had 
bricks  to  sell.  The  watch  was  unredeemed  and  there 
fore  lost  to  him,  but  he  had  the  bricks  and  had  found 
the  means  of  making  them.  White  purchasers  of  his 
product  would  come  on  the  ground  to  buy,  and  would 
thereby  become  acquainted  with  his  general  plan,  and 
thus  a  new  point  of  contact  would  be  gained.  Be 
sides  the  market  value  of  the  bricks,  skill  and  labor 
had  been  given  the  students,  and  means  had  been  sup 
plied  for  the  erection  of  buildings  for  the  school.  Not 
a  few  of  his  young  men  seeing  the  profit  in  brick- 
making  became  themselves  proficient  in  the  art,  and, 
having  mastered  it,  went  into  different  parts  of  the 
country  and  established  profitable  plants  of  their  own. 
It  came  to  pass  that  when  it  was  known  that  these 
manufacturers  of  bricks  were  from  Tuskegee,  that 
was  a  sufficient  guarantee  of  the  value  of  the  product. 
The  points  of  practical  contact  with  the  outlying  world 
were  thus  multiplying,  and  the  wholesome  influence  of 
Tuskegee  was  increasing. 

Though  still  quite  young,  crude,  and  weak,  Tus 
kegee  Institute  was  now  fairly  on  its  feet.     Slight  as 


160    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

the  progress  had  been  up  to  this  time  it  had  served  the 
valuable  purpose  of  showing  what  could  be  done.  The 
success  was  at  least  encouragingly  suggestive.  The 
less  worthy  young  people  shunned  the  school  because 
of  the  labor  required,  but  others  sought  it  as  a 
means  of  equipment.  This  meant  better  and  more 
select  students  who  would  contribute  to  the  increased 
order  of  the  school,  and  who,  in  going  out  from  it, 
would  illustrate  the  type  of  work  done.  The  officials 
of  Hampton  on  learning  of  the  growing  success  of 
Washington  came  one  after  another  to  note  his  prog 
ress,  actuated  by  the  double  motive  of  witnessing  the 
expansion  of  the  industrial  idea  there  inculcated,  and 
of  seeing  the  success  of  one  of  their  own  students. 

This  was  an  additional  incentive  to  the  enterprising 
Principal  and  a  wider  advertisement  of  Tuskegee. 
Success  was  begetting  success.  There  was  no  pre 
scribed  boundary  in  the  mind  of  Washington  as  to  the 
future  of  the  school.  His  plan  was  to  extend  the  limits 
of  the  crafts  and  industries  to  the  utmost  possible. 
No  sooner  was  one  well  established  than  he  would 
address  himself  to  another.  The  students  must  manu 
facture  everything  on  the  ground  and  construct  every 
thing  to  be  used.  Bricks  would  mean  additional 
buildings,  and  buildings  would  mean  devotion  to  some 
industry,  and  the  industry  would  come  to  mean  inde 
pendence  in  the  race  of  life.  From  the  beginning 
Tuskegee  became  a  hive  of  industry  in  books  and  in 
handicraft. 

The  close  of  the  second  session  found  the  new  build 
ing  still  unfinished.  For  more  than  a  year  it  had  been 


THE  INTEREST  DEEPENS  161 

creeping  up  by  slow  stages  as  money  was  available  to 
enable  the  work  to  go  on,  and  as  the  students  at  odd 
times  could  devote  to  its  completion  a  few  spare  hours. 
It  was  at  this  time  that  the  Principal  himself  decided 
to  go  North  in  search  of  possible  means  with  which  to 
carry  the  building  to  completion.  Heretofore  his 
active  and  able  assistant  had  done  the  soliciting,  but 
now  both  would  go,  and  by  their  combined  efforts 
make  a  supreme  attempt  to  procure  funds  sufficient  to 
finish  the  much-needed  structure.  Washington  was 
yet  unknown,  was  young,  being  only  twenty-six,  and 
was  naturally  timid  in  pressing  his  claims.  To  be 
able  so  to  present  his  cause  as  he  himself  knew  it  to 
be,  was  a  matter  of  grave  concern  to  the  inexperi 
enced  solicitor  for  the  needed  aid.  In  his  self-distrust 
he  thought  to  procure  a  recommendation  from  a  friend 
of  his  in  New  York  who  was  connected  with  a  mis 
sionary  organization.  He  supposed  the  privilege  of 
aiding  a  colored  friend  who  was  doing  a  work  so 
commendable,  would  afford  delight  to  the  official  of 
the  missionary  society,  but  to  the  utter  disappoint 
ment  of  Washington  the  supposed  friend  not  only 
declined  to  indorse  the  young  Principal  by  giving  him 
a  letter,  but  otherwise  discouraged  him  and  advised 
him  to  return  to  Tuskegee  at  once,  make  the  most  of 
that  within  reach,  and  never  again  undertake  to  annoy 
Northern  people  about  money  for  colored  schools. 
Washington  listened  in  silence,  interposing  not  the 
least  objection  to  all  this  gratuitous  advice,  and  then 
went  his  way  as  he  originally  intended.  He  relied  on 
the  worthiness  of  his  cause,  and  while  he  was  rewarded 


162    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

with  no  considerable  amount,  he  was  able  to  make 
some  additions  to  the  growing  building. 

After  the  opening  of  the  following  session,  Wash 
ington  resolved  to  celebrate  his  first  thanksgiving  at 
Tuskegee  in  the  chapel  of  the  new  but  still  incom 
plete  Porter  Hall.  Rev.  R.  C.  Bedford,  a  white  min 
ister  of  Wisconsin,  who  was  the  pastor  of  the  colored 
Congregational  church  at  Montgomery,  was  invited 
to  conduct  the  exercises  on  Thanksgiving  day.  The 
announcement  that  services  were  to  be  held  in  the  new 
building  was  heralded  through  the  country,  accom 
panied  by  a  cordial  invitation  to  all  to  attend,  and 
the  result  was  an  overflowing  congregation.  Till  this 
time  the  colored  people  had  never  observed  Thanks 
giving,  and  many  attended  to  learn  its  meaning.  In 
terest  in  the  school  was  deepened,  the  enthusiasm  of 
the  colored  people  increased,  and  some  substantial 
aid  was  realized  as  the  result  of  this  first  Thanksgiving 
service  in  the  new  building.  To  Washington  it  was 
a  gratification  that  his  white  friends  at  Tuskegee 
shared  in  the  pleasure  of  the  first  occupation  of 
Porter  Hall. 

Among  the  numerous  perplexities  encountered  at 
this  time  by  the  ambitious  Principal  was  that  of  the 
best  disposal  of  the  pupils  of  both  sexes  who  were 
coming  in  increasing  numbers  to  attend  the  school. 
Up  to  this  time,  these  unripe  boys  and  girls  who  came 
from  the  plantations,  were  forced  to  find  board  where 
they  might,  and  were  scattered  here  and  there  about 
the  community  without  oversight,  all  of  which  was 
suggestive  of  demoralization.  Would  not  a  condition 


THE  INTEREST  DEEPENS  163 

like  this  effectually  defeat  the  scheme  in  the  fertile 
mind  of  the  Principal  by  immorality  to  which  both 
sexes  would  be  exposed  ?  To  have  the  students  under 
his  immediate  eye  was  his  desire,  and  means  must  be 
found  for  the  consummation  of  this  much-desired  end. 
He  would  make  of  the  new  building  a  dormitory  as 
far  as  his  means  would  justify,  but  how  about  the 
boarding?  He  conceived  the  plan  of  excavating  the 
foundation,  making  a  basement,  and  using  this  for 
cooking  and  dining  purposes.  Again  enlisting  the 
muscular  energy  of  the  students,  the  cellar  was  dug, 
and  while  in  its  rough  condition  it  more  nearly  re 
sembled  a  dungeon  than  the  cooking  and  eating  de 
partment  of  a  school,  still  it  was  the  best  that  could, 
at  the  time,  be  done.  Yet  there  was  still  the  diffi 
culty  of  procuring  stoves,  tables,  and  table-ware  even 
of  the  plainest  and  most  inexpensive  kind.  The  stu 
dents  could  construct  rough  tables,  use  improvised 
stools  and  boxes  for  seats,  and  as  for  the  cooking, 
that  had  to  be  done  on  the  outside  on  blazing  fires 
and  coals.  Spoons,  knives,  and  forks  were  not  to 
be  had  except  in  limited  quantity,  and  these  implements 
would  have  to  be  passed  from  student  to  student, 
while  at  table.  While  this  did  not  conduce  to 'the 
development  of  refinement,  it  had  to  serve  the  present 
purpose.  The  test  was  a  severe  one  both  to  the  Prin 
cipal  and  to  the  students,  but  the  man  in  the  lead  felt 
sure  of  ultimate  success. 

While  at  this  period  the  outlook  was  a  gloomy  one, 
there  was  no  thought  of  failure  on  the  part  of  Wash 
ington.  He  had  gleaned  all  possible,  it  would  seem, 


164    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

from  friends  in  the  North,  and  while  he  had  made 
friends  of  the  whites  of  the  community,  they  were 
still  poor,  and  could  aid  only  slightly.  The  local 
merchants  were  willing  and  glad  to  give  credit  to 
Washington,  and  urged  him  to  venture,  and  rely  on 
the  future  for  means  to  meet  his  obligations,  but  he 
was  too  wise  to  go  farther  than  the  prospect  would 
justify,  and  kindly  declined  the  proffered  credit.  Not 
only  was  his  reputation  at  stake,  but  that  of  his  people, 
who  were  altogether  too  ready  to  avail  themselves 
of  any  credit  possible,  and  thus  become  the  victims  of 
the  merchant.  For  the  sake  of  example,  if  for  noth 
ing  else,  he  would  not  be  unduly  enticed  to  purchase. 
At  numerous  junctures  in  his  complicated  work  the 
temptation  was  great  to  overstride  in  the  incurrence 
of  risk,  and  many  times  a  single  blunder  on  his  part 
would  have  brought  down  in  a  common  crash  of  ruin 
the  unfinished  fabric,  but  the  brake  of  caution  was 
always  on  the  wheel  of  progress,  and  he  knew  just 
how  far  to  venture.  Experience  and  endowed  wis 
dom  were  the  elements  that  made  the  brake.  He  could 
not  now  afford  to  fail,  for  on  his  work  reposed  the  suc 
cess  of  millions. 

Encompassed  by  difficulty  of  every  sort  Washing 
ton  was  still  optimistic.  He  believed  that  there  was 
a  way  out  of  every  difficulty.  He  counted  the  cost 
of  each  contemplated  stride,  set  the  difficulty  over 
against  the  advantage,  and  acted  on  the  judgment  of 
the  occasion.  He  was  many  times  effectually  stalled, 
but  he  made  the  most  possible  out  of  the  present,  and 
still  hoped  for  the  future.  The  period  immediately 


THE  INTEREST  DEEPENS  165 

under  review  was  the  most  testing  time  in  the  experi 
ence  of  the  young  man.  He  was  standing  on  the  brink, 
with  everything,  apparently,  against  him,  yet  the  fact 
that  he  stood  and  wrestled  with  giant  difficulties 
showed  him  to  be  the  man  that  he  was.  Without  a 
cent  of  money,  with  so  many  dependent  on  him,  with 
the  difficulties  thick  about  him,  without  ability  to  see 
an  inch  ahead,  he  still  stood,  exhibiting  a  moral  courage 
rarely  witnessed. 


XII 
STILL  ACHIEVING,  STILL  PURSUING 

THOUGH  Booker  T.  Washington  had  been  at 
Tuskegee  but  little  more  than  two  years,  he 
had  established  a  character  second  to  that  of 
no  one  in  the  community.     His  work  was  the  subject 
of  general  comment.     He  was  discussed  in  numerous 
circles  of  both  races,  and  the  unanimous  conclusion 
was  that  he  was  a  remarkable  young  man.    The  third 
year  came  and  went  with  increased  elevation  in  public 
esteem. 

Much  as  he  had  done  in  the  general  improvement 
of  the  grounds  and  the  school,  he  had  accomplished 
far  more  by  his  moral  influence.  He  had  extended  the 
scope  of  his  industries,  the  number  of  attendants  had 
greatly  increased,  he  had  successfully  met  each  emer 
gency  as  it  arose,  but  in  the  exercise  of  a  silent  influ 
ence  he  had  done  more.  He  had  brought  heart  and 
fresh  hope  to  his  people,  had  infused  both  inspira 
tion  and  aspiration,  had  revealed  the  possibility  and 
capability  of  his  race,  had  erected  a  standard  of  char 
acter  and  of  success,  had  become  an  object  lesson  to 
a  race  in  despair,  had  elicited  energy  and  force  where 
he  found  only  apathy,  had  become  a  mediator  of  peace 
and  good-will  between  the  races  at  a  time  when  pas 
sion  was  the  fiercest,  had  arrested  attention  when  no 
one  of  different  temperament  could  have  done  so,  had 

166 


STILL  ACHIEVING,  STILL  PURSUING   167 

"•v 

won  increased  esteem  for  himself  and  his  people  at 
a  period  when  it  would  have  seemed  impossible,  and 
nad  compelled  recognition  of  Negro  merit  on  the  part 
of  even  the  most  prejudiced. 

One  of  the  most  striking  evidences  of  the  greatness 
of  Washington's  character  was  that  he  kept  his  own 
counsel.  He  had  few  confidential  matters  to  communi 
cate.  Others  would  talk  to  him  about  still  others,  but 
he  was  careful  to  be  silent.  He  discouraged  gossip 
amc  ng  his  people.  Not  a  few  times  was  he  whisper- 
ingly  approached  with  bits  of  confidential  tidings 
about  certain  white  men,  in  order  that  he  might  be  on 
his  gt.  ird  against  them ;  while  he  listened,  he  answered 
not  a  '  yord.  Some  sought  to  advise  him  how  to  vote, 
and  to  impress  on  him  the  importance  of  his  taking 
a  prominent  lead  in  certain  movements,  but  he  would 
never  coiLtnit  himself  to  anyone,  either  with  respect 
to  his  senttnents  or  his  purpose.  He  was  grave!] 
informed  more  than  once  that  if  he  wished  to  know 
how  to  vote,  he  could  watch  the  whites,  and  always 
cast, his  vote  the  other  way.  This  was  given  him  as 
the  controlling  rule  in  the  politics  of  his  race.  But 
no  one  was  able  to  quote  him  concerning  any  matter 
of  doubtful  question.  Indeed  he  was  sometimes  ac 
cused  of  doing  certain  things  of  which  he  was  entirely 
innocent,  yet  he  seldom  sought  to  correct  their  in 
accuracy. 

When,  in  later  years,  there  was  much  ado  over  the 
rumor  of  Washington's  having  dined  with  President 
Roosevelt,  he  did  not  undertake  to  correct  the  state 
ments  which  widely  obtained  throughout  the  press  of 


168    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

the  country,  and  are  still  quoted  as  facts.  He  stated 
to  an  intimate  friend  at  the  time  that  there  was  noth 
ing  in  it  but  exaggeration  by  some  omnivorous  cor 
respondent  at  Washington  who  in  his  desire  to  make 
a  "  scoop/'  had  spread  the  report.  The  occasion 
which  gave  rise  to  the  rumor  was  a  very  trifling  inci 
dent.  Mr.  Washington  had  occasion  to  see  the  Presi 
dent  on  some  matters  relating  to  the  school,  and  Mr. 
Roosevelt  was  too  busy  at  the  time  of  his  call  to  give 
him  the  required  attention,  so  he  asked  him  to  return 
to  his  office  at  noon  when  he  would  be  privately  1  anch- 
ing,  saying  that  then  he  would  be  glad  to  go  over  the 
matter  with  him.  Washington  came  at  th ;  time 
named,  and  while  the  conversation  was  in  progress 
the  president's  luncheon  was  brought  to  his  office  on 
a  large  waiter.  Remarking  that  there  was  sufficient 
for  both,  Mr.  Roosevelt  offered  to  shar^  with  his 
caller,  who  could  not  have  declined  and  be  polite. 
While  they  went  through  the  business  they  ate  the 
limited  luncheon,  after  which  Mr.  Washington  left. 
Both  the  president  and  Mr.  Washington  under 
went  a  severe  fire  of  criticism  because  of  the  reported 
formal  "  dining "  at  the  White  House,  but  neither 
thought  it  worth  while  to  explain  to  the  public  what 
actually  took  place.  Why  did  not  Washington  publish 
the  facts  as  they  were?  To  have  done  so  would  have 
raised  a  storm  of  controversy,  and  invectives  would 
have  flown  like  bullets  in  battle.  Once  the  storm  was 
started  it  would  have  passed  beyond  control.  It  was 
Washington's  policy  never  to  be  betrayed  into  news 
paper  controversy.  Like  other  things  conjured  up 


STILL  ACHIEVING,  STILL  PURSUING   169 

against  him,  he  met  this  report  with  silence  and  suf 
fered  the  sensation  to  spend  itself. 

Each  successive  step  taken  at  Tuskegee,  though 
logically  necessary,  involved  new  difficulty  and  em 
barrassment,  due  to  the  lack  of  means.  Like  all 
other  schools  of  consequence,  that  at  Tuskegee  was  a 
spender  of  money.  No  school  of  worth  can  exist  save 
as  a  consumer  of  means.  It  gives  not  back  dollar  for 
dollar,  in  kind,  but  is  a  creator  of  channels,  not  for 
money  alone  but  for  the  things  that  make  for  social 
advancement  and  financial  prosperity.  Means  from 
some  source  had  to  be  created  by  Booker  Washington 
in  response  to  the  demands  of  advancement.  The 
opening  of  the  modest  and  unpretentious  boarding 
department  at  Tuskegee  Institute  was  noised  far  and 
wide,  and  in  greater  numbers  the  pupils  came  trooping 
in.  For  all  these  not  only  must  food  be  provided  but 
beds  also.  With  all  his  resources  exhausted  with  his 
exhausted  plans,  difficulty  and  embarrassment  in 
creased.  In  one  direction  was  success,  in  another  was 
seeming  failure.  The  pressure  of  the  burden  was 
great. 

Filled  to  overrunning  as  the  humble  boarding  de 
partment  was,  the  Principal  was  compelled  to  have 
recourse  to  renting  some  neighboring  shanties  for  a 
large  number  of  boys.  These  were  bare  rooms,  the 
walls  abounding  in  open  cracks,  and  the  winter  nights 
were  bitterly  cold.  The  Principal  was  doing  his  best, 
and  he  so  impressed  the  students.  To  a  spirit  of  less 
nerve  this  would  have  been  an  occasion  of  despair, 
but  Washington  held  on,  planned  on,  and  labored  on. 


170    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

In  the  midst  of  these  scenes,  he  would  sometimes 
wake  at  night  and  lie  listening  to  the  hoarse  roar  of 
the  wintry  winds  without,  and  from  sympathy  for  the 
boys  in  the  bleak  cabins,  he  would  arise,  dress,  and  go 
to  the  wretched  places.  There  he  would  sometimes 
find  a  number  so  grouped  over  a  small  fire  as  to  be 
able  to  use  a  common  blanket  stretched  around  all, 
and  held  tightly  by  those  at  each  end  of  the  semi 
circle.  He  would  often  sit  down  with  them,  offer 
what  cheer  he  could,  and  assure  them  that  so  soon 
as  conditions  could  be  made  better,  the  suffering  stu 
dents  should  have  the  benefit  of  them.  Thus  it  was 
that  he  retained  the  confidence  of  the  students,  none 
of  whom,  either  while  at  Tuskegee  or  after  leaving 
there,  was  ever  heard  to  utter  aught  against  the  sym 
pathetic  Principal.  The  heroism  shown  by  these  black 
boys  from  the  plantation  might  have  been  displayed  by 
superior  beings,  but  heroism  was  never  more  sublime 
than  here. 

As  has  already  been  said,  this  was  the  most  severe 
testing-time  in  Washington's  life.  The  conditions 
were  sufficient  to  appall  anyone.  The  temptation  was 
great  to  avail  himself  of  the  advantage  of  the  credit 
offered  by  local  merchants,  but  the  fact  that  he  de 
clined  to  venture  into  debt  redounded,  in  the  end,  to 
his  credit.  The  confidence  which  he  had  come  to  en 
joy  on  the  part  of  the  worthy  whites  of  the  South  was 
illustrated  on  one  occasion  while  he  was  going  on  a 
Pullman  from  Augusta  to  Atlanta.  Just  after  getting 
aboard  at  Augusta,  Washington  was  discovered  by  two 
ladies  whom  he  had  known  in  Boston,  and  to  whom 


STILL  ACHIEVING,  STILL  PURSUING   171 

he  was  indebted  for  contributions  to  his  school.  He 
was  embarrassed  when  they  invited  him  to  a  seat  with 
them.  The  presence  of  Southern  men  on  board,  in 
the  face  of  so  kind  an  invitation  from  two  benefac 
tors,  threw  him  into  a  quandary.  There  was  nothing 
left  but  to  accept  the  invitation,  be  the  consequences 
what  they  might.  But  this  was  not  all.  After  he  was 
seated,  dinner  was  ordered  by  one  of  the  ladies,  and  his 
embarrassment  became  sorer  still. 

He  noticed  that  the  gentlemen  on  returning  from 
dinner  had  gone  into  the  smoking-room,  and  so  soon 
as  he  could  excuse  himself  from  his  Boston  friends, 
Washington  sought  the  smoking-car,  as  he  was  sure 
that  if  his  unavoidable  conduct  awakened  opposition 
it  would  be  developed  in  the  smoker.  To  his  unspeak 
able  surprise  and  gratification,  on  entering  the  smok 
ing-room,  he  was  kindly  greeted  by  each  of  the  South 
ern  gentlemen,  some  of  whom  went  so  far  as  to  say 
to  the  colored  principal  that  he  did  not  know  them, 
but  that  they  knew  him.  Then  they  proceeded  to  con 
gratulate  him  on  his  growing  success  at  Tuskegee, 
advising  him  of  the  fact  that  they  were  regarding  his 
work  with  peculiar  interest,  and  assuring  him  that  no 
one  of  either  race  was  doing  so  much  for  the  promo 
tion  of  race  amity  as  himself. 

The  thorough  disinterestedness  of  this  expression 
was  a  peculiar  delight  to  Washington.  These  could 
have  been  none  other  than  expressions  of  sincerity, 
and  coming  as  they  did  from  Southern  men,  without 
any  special  occasion  to  evoke  them,  they  occasioned  the 
profoundest  satisfaction.  Till  then  he  was  not  aware 


172    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

that  the  school  at  Tuskegee  had  awakened  any  public 
interest.  But  here  were  gentlemen  of  affairs  and  of 
wide  observation,  who  were  expressing  the  most  en 
couraging  delight  in  his  enterprise  and  progress.  It 
k~a  remarkable  fact  in  connection  with  Washington's 
career  in  the  South  that  he  was  never  insulted  by  a 
Southern  white  man.  He  was  many  times  exposed  to 
conditions  when  insult  might  have  been  expected;  he 
went  often  through  the  rural  regions  where  aversion 
was  intense,  but  no  one  was  ever  offensive  to  him. 
He  was  invariably  treated  with  the  utmost  considera 
tion. 

To  what  was  this  due?    To  many  ignorant  whites 

he  was  totally  unknown,  and  yet  they  accorded  to 

/  him  the  utmost  courtesy.     It  was  not  due  to  the  fact 

fthat  it  was  his  habit  to  truckle  or  fawn,  for  that  would 
\have  awakened  contempt.  None  understand  the 
Negro  better  than  the  Southerner.  Sycophancy  on 
the  part  of  a  colored  man  amuses  a  Southerner  and 
elicits  a  bandying  of  jocularity  at  the  expense  of  the 
Fegro.  The  only  explanation  of  the  peculiar  treat- 
lent  universally  accorded  to  Washington  was  that  his 
)earing  compelled  it.  He  neither  assumed  nor  cringed, 
but  invariably  bore  himself  with  a  naturalness  and  a 
poise  which  to  have  disregarded  or  disrespected  would 
have  been  a  reflection  on  the  one  guilty  of  such  dis 
courtesy.  In  his  frequent  intercourse  with  white 
men,  whether  on  matters  of  business,  or  in  ordinary 
conversation,  they  were  impressed  by  the  idea  that 
they  were  not  speaking  to  a  colored  man,  but  simply 
to  a  man.  He  gave  no  impression  of  borrowed  polite- 


STILL  ACHIEVING,  STILL  PURSUING   173 

ness  or  assumed  courtesy,  he  had  no  obsequious  air, 
and  the  consequence  was  that  he  received  the  utmost 
courtesy.  He  was  free  without  undue  familiarity, 
agreeable  without  assumption,  and  courteous  without 
palaver  or  the  slightest  display  of  servility.  He  met 
every  man  with  the  civility  with  which  one  man  meets 
another.  If  he  was  remarkable  in  this  respect,  it  was 
only  remarkable  naturalness. 

Whatever  may  be  said  to  the  contrary  by  vague 
theorists,  the  policy  of  Washington  was  the  only  sane 
one.  It  embodied  the  two  elements  of  increasing  con 
sideration  of  the  strong  for  the  weak  and  aspiring, 
with  a  growing  and  responsive  strength  for  the 
weaker.  All  transitional  periods  in  individuals  and  in 
peoples  are  trying,  both  to  those  who  are  passing  from 
one  stage  to  another  and  to  those  who  have  to  bear  the 
experience.  To  overcome  in  both  opposing  directions 
was  the  task  set  the  freedmen  of  the  South  when  the 
note  of  emancipation  sounded.  They  had  first  to  vindi 
cate  their  claim  to  fitness  in  the  social  framework  by 
unquestioned  merit  and  not  by  verbal  assertion  alone. 
They  had  to  commend  themselves  "before  they  could  \ 
command  respect.  This  could  not  be  done  by  the  enact-  j  y\ 
ment  of  formal  laws,  but  must  be  through  the  process  / 
of  natural  laws.  Other  considerations  than  those  of 
merely  barren  rights  had  to  be  taken  into  account. 

As  a  matter  of  judgment  and  without  sacrifice  of 
principle,  Booker  Washington  maintained  that  in  order 
to  permanent  solidity  of  condition  for  the  relations 
of  the  races  in  the  South,  (xiaciliatLoajcausl  precede  \ 
cooperation,.  Without  the  former  of  these  the  latter  .! 


;m    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

is  impossible;  and  without  the  latter,  neighborly  resi 
dence  in  the  states  of  the  South  is  equally  impossible. 
It  is  one  thing,  as  he  contended,  to  prate  about  certain 
"  rights,"  and  continue  race  strife  with  only  trouble 
and  friction  continually  ensuing,  and  quite  another 
thing  for  the  colored  race  to  win  its  way  to  confidence 
and  esteem  by  dint  of  merit. 

He  insisted  that  the  gain  by  the  colored  man  of  the 
sane  and  conservative  sentiment  of  the  South  would 
bring  with  it  a  growing  sense  of  equity  and  justice 
which  would  serve  to  protect  the  Negro  against  an 
element  whose  unfriendliness  would  grow  commen- 
surately  with  the  expanding  worth  of  the  colored  man. 
;He  was  fully  aware  of  the  fact  that  as  the  once  en 
slaved  race  should  acquire  self-consciousness  and  come 
to  take  on  worthy  ambition,  antagonism  would  re 
sult  with  a  certain  element  of  whites,  Negro  ad 
vancement  would  excite  unrest  because  they  are  hos 
tile  to  the  progress  of  the  colored  man. 

Frequently  demonstrated  as  this  was,  an  incident 
which  took  place  on  the  Georgia  Railroad,  a  few  years 
ago,  affords  a  striking  illustration  of  this  unworthy 
sentiment.  The  white  employees  of  the  road  sought 
to  have  all  colored  firemen  expelled,  not  because  of 
inefficiency,  but  because  they  were  Negroes.  What 
should  be  done  with  this  aspect  of  opposition?  Just 
what  was  then  done.  A  tribunal  of  white  arbitrators 
to  whom  the  matter  was  submitted,  forthwith  reduced 
the  issue  to  one  of  equity,  and  decided,  not  that  the 
employees  of  the  road  should  be  retained,  but  that, 
irrespective  of  color  or  aught  else,  where  the  authori- 


STILL  ACHIEVING,  STILL  PURSUING   175 

ties  should  engage  a  man  for  a  given  service,  his  com 
pensation  should  be  equal  to  that  of  every  other  simi 
larly  engaged,  and  that  if  his  work  was  satisfactory 
to  the  officers  of  the  road,  no  one  should  be  interfered 
with  in  the  discharge  of  his  service.  This  settled  a 
principle  finally  in  the  South,  and  settled  it  on  the 
basis  of  merit  and  of  equity. 

This  is  the  central  principle  for  which  Washington 
so  long  labored  as  the  one  which  would  ultimately 
conduct  his  people  from  darkness  into  light,  and  in 
demonstration  of  this  policy,  he  continued  his  work  at  ; 
Tuskegee  from  the  outset  of  his  career  to  its  close.,/ 
By  extraordinary  skill  conditions  were  produced  at 
Tuskegee  within  a  few  years  that  reversed  much  ad 
verse  theory  concerning  the  Negro  race  and  com 
pelled  patriotic  acquiescence.  The  change  there 
wrought  was  so  prophetic  of  permanent  good  and  so 
indicative  of  unlimited  benefit  to  both  races,  that  there 
came  a  growing  enlistment  of  interest  in  behalf  of 
the  Negro,  interest  which  was  coextensive  with  the 
knowledge  of  the  work  done  at  Tuskegee. 

While  the  recognized  representative  of  the  colorecK 
race,  Washington  came,  after  a  time,  to  be  thought  of 
as  a  boon  to  both  races.    The  development  of  the  in-  / 
herent  qualities  of  the  colored  man,  as  a  component  I 
part  of  society,  meant  much  for  the  white  man.    One ' 
who  makes  even  one  man  good,  makes  many  better. 
That  which  mere  wordy  argument  could  not  accom 
plish  was  being  achieved  with  practical  result  at  Tus 
kegee.     Washington  was  answering  all  the  ominous 
predictions  concerning  the  Negro  by  indisputable  fact. 


176    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

He  was  arresting  current  and  erroneous  theory  by 
tangible  demonstration.  He  was  exploding  in  rapid 
succession  mistaken  ideas  of  the  Negro,  by  showing 
Ihat  he  is  not  only  a  man,  but  one  of  vast  capability. 
lie  was  silencing  the  original  hoot  of  ridicule  by  sum 
moning  from  the  depths  of  long-buried  gloom  the 
latent  forces  of  his  people. 

It  is  therefore  not  a  matter  of  surprise  that  the 
thoughtful  of  the  white  race  came  to  hold  Booker  T. 
Washington  in  honored  esteem.  Indeed,  he  had  by 
his  own  genius  created  a  condition  which  logically 
compelled  recognition  of  his  own  personal  merit  and 
that  of  the  work  he  was  doing  in  the  transformation 
of  character.  While  steadily  commending  himself  by 
his  course  and  his  work  to  the  public  irrespective  of 
race,  he  was  not  without  opposition  on  the  part  of 
certain  leaders  of  his  own  people  who  openly  asserted 
that  "  the  white  South  naturally  agreed  with  Mr. 
Washington,  and  the  white  North  thought  they  saw 
here  a  chance  for  peace  in  the  racial  conflict,  and 
^  safety  in  their  Southern  investments."  *  Sentiments 
like  these  were  thrown  as  so  many  obstructions  in  his 
way,  much  to  his  embarrassment.  Men  like  these  in 
the  ranks  of  his  own  race  found  their  counterpart  in 
the  ultra  element  of  the  white  race,  which  could  see 
no  possible  good  that  could  come  from  the  Negro,  no 
matter  what  was  done.  But  in  spite  of  these  limited 
contentions,  the  work  at  Tuskegee  went  on,  and  as  the 
institution  grew  so  grew  favorable  public  sentiment. 
Writh  Washington  success  was  succeeding. 
*W.  E.  B.  DuBois:  The  Negro,  p.  226. 


XIII 
THE  PROSPECT  WIDENS 

WE  come  now  to  contemplate  Booker  T.  Wash 
ington  after  the  laborious  work  of  years. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  labored  in  re 
stricted  obscurity,  and  was  suffered  to  work  out  his 
plans  in  his  own  way,  the  only  interest  excited  being 
that  of  seeing  the  result  of  his  experiment.  Even  this 
was  known  and  observed  by  but  few. 

The  confidence  which  comes  as  the  result  of  final 
success  has  now  arrived.  The  tangled  surface  of  the 
hill  once  crowned  by  the  mansion  of  a  slave  owner 
had  largely  relapsed  into  original  conditions.  The 
charred  ruins  of  the  burnt  mansion  were  overgrown 
with  tangled  vines  and  riotous  weeds,  and  there  was 
a  scene  of  silent  desolation  unrelieved  by  the  few 
small  buildings  left  by  the  fire  which  had  destroyed 
the  original  home  of  the  planter. 

The  whole  face  of  the  surface  has  now  been  cleared 
of  its  debris,  the  stunted  growth  that  had  sprung  up 
has  been  removed,  and  the  few  minor  buildings  are 
devoted  to  valuable  service.  The  adjacent  forest  has 
been  brought  into  cultivation,  new  painted  fences  sur 
round  the  patches  and  gardens,  and  excellent  build 
ings  have  come  to  fill  much  of  the  space.  Drive 
ways  mark  the  surface,  and  graceful  walks  wind  here 
and  there  amid  shady  trees,  and  across  lawns  em- 

177 


178  LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

broidered  with  grass  and  flowers.  Well-tilled  farms, 
experimental  gardens,  hot-houses,  ranches  of  different 
kinds,  and  all  that  relates  to  a  great  industrial  school 
now  extend  over  a  wide  area,  where  a  few  years  ago 
there  were  all  the  signs  of  abandonment.  In  the  dif 
ferent  buildings  are  groups  of  well-dressed  students 
of  both  sexes  at  systematic  work,  while  beneath  the 
shades  are  other  groups  engaged  in  quiet  study.  The 
utmost  order  and  discipline  prevail,  and  the  utmost 
courtesy  is  shown  by  all  to  visitors. 

Mr.  Washington  has  already  been  North  a  number 
of  times,  and  a  number  of  friends  of  the  school  have 
visited  it  as  a  result  of  its  reputation,  and  in  order 
to  see  the  man  who  had  wrought  such  wonders  from 
nothing.  The  aid  with  which  to  establish  the  institu 
tion  had  been  difficult  to  get  at  first,  but  increasing 
success  had  made  it  increasingly  easy  to  obtain  funds. 
Among  the  many  ties  that  have  come  to  rebind  the 
two  sections  since  the  temporary  separation  of  "  the 
sixties,"  none  has  been  more  fruitful  of  good  than 
that  of  the  service  rendered  at  the  most  crucial  point 
of  the  South's  overshadowing  perplexity,  centered  at 
Tuskegee.  The  dissolution  of  the  general  difficulty 
there  begun,  and  so  amazingly  fostered  by  a  media 
torial  agent  who  sprang  from  the  ranks  of  the  slaves, 
deserves  the  recognition  of  being  perhaps  the  most 
distinctive  contribution  to  the  rehabilitation  of  the 
prostrate  South. 

Washington  had  no  superficial  race  pride  which  he 
would  offensively  fleer  at  the  white  .race.  He  as  much 
desired  an  amicable  relationship  between  the  races  as 


THE  PROSPECT  WIDENS  179 

he  did  the  elevation  of  his  own  people.  He  came  not 
with  observation,  but  quite  the  contrary.  He  wrought 
not  with  noisy  demonstration  of  rash  thundering  and 
wordy  tumult.  His  was  the  opposite  course.  Con 
sidering  this  plan  as  the  dissolvent  of  the  strained 
condition,  he  so  taught  and  trained  those  under  his 
immediate  tutelage,  and  enforced  the  principle  so  far 
as  he  might  among  his  people  throughout  the  country. 

He  was  often  deeply  grieved  by  the  inequality  of 
treatment  accorded  his  people  by  those  possessing  force 
and  authority.  He  was  shocked  by  the  awful  atrocity 
of  lynching  and  of  other  cruel  outrages,  the  power 
to  perpetrate  which  was  derived  solely  from  superior 
ity  of  advantage.  He  often  insisted  that  the  strong 
could  well  afford  to  be  kind  to  the  weak,  but  he  de 
clined  to  be  betrayed  into  the  slightest  encouragement 
of  redress  by  violence.  He  would  protest  with  all  his 
manhood,  but  he  would  not  offer  resistance.  Because 
of  this  influence  exerted  in  a  way  so  salutary,  at  a 
time  so  tumultuous,  there  is  due  a  debt  of  gratitude  on 
the  part  of  both  races,  to  Booker  T.  Washington,  that 
can  never  be  canceled.  Had  the  policy  pursued  by 
Washington  with  his  great  influence  among  his  peo 
ple,  been  one  of  resistance  rather  than  one  of  con 
ciliation,  the  results  would  have  been  horribly  different. 
He  could  have  inflamed  the  race  as  could  no  other. 
That  he  was  the  man  he  was,  and  that  he  did  that 
which  was  done,  places  both  races  in  the  South  under 
obligation  to  him. 

During  the  first  years  at  Tuskegee,  Washington 
sought  neither  to  disguise  nor  to  display  himself. 


180    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

Neither  of  these  was  to  him  a  matter  of  concern.  He 
was  seeking  to  work  out  a  practical  principle,  and  to 
him  this  was  all-engrossing.  He  would  generate  the 
force  of  initiativeness  in  his  people,  and  at  the  same 
time  seek  a  fair  chance  for  its  display.  This  chance 
the  race  had  never  enjoyed  since  it  set  foot  on  Amer 
ican  shores.  He  was  slowly  hewing  his  way  through 
accumulated  obstructions  in  order  that  his  people 
might  find  a  place  in  American  life  where  they  would 
be  able  to  demonstrate  their  ability  to  contribute  to 
the  good  of  society  and  of  civilization.  He  was  labor 
ing  at  a  point  of  juncture  most  important  to  both 
races.  At  such  a  juncture,  with  marvelous  success 
attending  his  efforts,  he  could  not  escape  observation. 
In  proportion  to  the  growth  of  his  success  attention 
would  be  diverted  from  the  turbulence  of  passion 
which  had  hitherto  swayed  the  public,  to  the  man  who 
was  bringing  things  to  pass.  The  consequence  was 
that  when  Washington  came  to  achieve  wonders  with 
resources  of  his  own  creation,  the  fact  resolved  itself 
into  an  appeal  which  could  not  be  disregarded.  While 
creating  a  condition  more  favorable  for  his  people, 
he  was  at  the  same  time  creating  a  new  public  situa 
tion.  In  consequence  of  this,  the  neighboring  whites 
at  Tuskegee,  and  others  beyond  the  South,  came,  one 
by  one,  and  in  increasing  numbers,  to  the  rescue  of 
the  man  who  was  accomplishing  so  much.  In  the  ex 
ercise  of  his  genius  he  was  blending  the  interests  of 
the  two  races  in  a  way  that  would  bring  mutual  help 
fulness. 
As  Tuskegee  rose  into  prominence  the  attendance 


THE  PROSPECT  WIDENS  181 

increased  and  this,  in  turn,  led  to  an  increase  of 
facilities.  The  erection  of  one  edifice  called  for  an 
other,  just  as  the  introduction  of  a  new  branch  of 
industry  necessitated  the  creation  of  another.  As  the 
institution  became  known,  the  task  of  raising  funds 
was  not  so  great,  and  yet  the  increasing  necessity 
which  called  for  larger  amounts  made  their  procure 
ment  more  difficult.  The  consequence  was  that  the 
labors  of  Mr.  Washington  continued  to  increase  as 
the  institution  developed.  As  the  pressure  of  neces 
sity  came,  he  proceeded  as  if  the  resources  were  in 
hand,  as  not  to  do  so  would  check  the  progress  of 
the  school.  The  means  would  come  in  due  time, 
but  not  without  labor  on  his  part.  This  was  true  even 
in  the  case  of  the  second  building  to  be  erected  on  the 
grounds.  Its  cost  was  estimated  at  $10,000,  and  with 
out  a  cent  in  sight,  the  work  of  erection  was  begun. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  he  received  a  letter  from  his 
former  president,  General  Armstrong,  inviting  him  to 
join  him  on  a  tour  North,  in  the  interest  of  Tuskegee. 
Up  to  this  time,  Washington  had  been  but  little  before 
the  general  public.  He  had  a  natural  shyness,  even 
unto  timidity.  So  far  from  his  vanity  being  excited 
by  his  success,  he  was  rather  humbled.  Among  many 
others,  General  Armstrong  had  visited  Tuskegee,  and 
was  impressed  by  its  growth  and  by  the  dominating 
force  of  its  great  founder,  but  not  till  now  had  the 
president  of  Hampton  deemed  it  wise  to  come  to  the 
succor  of  his  former  student.  Now  that  Tuskegee 
had  passed  the  experimental  stage  and  become  a  per 
manent  fixture,  was  the  time  for  aid.  General  Arm- 


182    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

strong  could  not  aid  financially,  but  he  could  influen- 
tially,  hence  the  invitation  to  Principal  Washington 
to  accompany  him.  To  Washington  it  was  at  first  a 
sore  test  to  appear  before  cultured  audiences  in  the 
great  centers  of  the  North,  but  he  had  a  message  and 
could  deliver  it  as  could  no  other.  Together  with 
General  Armstrong  he  appeared  in  New  York,  Brook 
lyn,  Boston,  and  Philadelphia,  as  well  as  in  other 
cities,  to  make  his  plea  for  his  cause.  Introduced 
as  an  original  slave  boy  from  a  Southern  plantation, 
he  was  presented  as  a  type  of  that  which  the  colored 
youth  of  the  South  might  become  if  properly  and 
timely  aided.  His  bland  face,  ease  of  manner,  and 
readiness  of  utterance,  finding  expression  in  simplicity 
and  vigor,  and  in  power  of  presentation  and  graphic 
description  by  apt  touch  of  detail,  interested  a  sym 
pathetic  public.  Without  display  of  emotion  he  would 
recite  the  situation  in  a  way  often  pathetic  and  tell 
of  his  ups  and  downs  in  seeking  to  meet  the  demands 
of  a  condition  so  unique.  This  displayed  his  native 
pluck  and  determination,  oneness  of  purpose,  race 
hopefulness,  and  freedom  from  rancor;  all  these  were 
lighted  up  here  and  there  with  touches  of  the 
emotional  and  glints  of  inimitable  humor,  and  the 
listeners  were  captivated. 

Some  were  present  on  those  occasions  who  had  in 
former  years  attended  on  great  gatherings  when  there 
was  a  different  kind  of  appeal  made  in  behalf  of  the 
Southern  Negro.  But  here  was  an  occasion  quite 
different.  Twenty  or  more  years  of  freedom  had  its 
result  here  in  concrete  form.  Here  was  the  practical 


THE  PROSPECT  WIDENS  183 

result  of  the  liberty  then  pleaded  for.  If  it  was  right 
that  interest  then  be  had  in  the  slave  encumbered  by 
shackles,  how  much  more  important  that  he  be  assisted 
now  that  he  was  establishing  his  ability  and  need  only 
to  be  lifted  over  the  rough  places?  The  story  told,  the 
hearts  of  the  people  were  moved.  From  the  simple, 
unaffected  diction  of  the  young  educator  they  could 
see  Tuskegee  in  its  throes  as  if  they  were  spectators 
on  the  ground. 

The  virtue  of  the  plea  of  former  years,  when  the 
physical  liberation  of  the  black  race  was  sought,  was 
greatly  enhanced  when  that  race  plead  through  its  own 
representative  for  ability  to  disentangle  itself  from 
the  mesh  of  conditions  into  which  physical  liberty  had 
brought  the  once  enslaved.  To  be  now  left  in  that 
condition  would  mean  but  little  to  the  black  man,  but 
if  now  encouraged  and  guided  to  that  which  was  within 
sight,  the  race  would  eventually  come  to  take  its  place 
worthily  among  other  races.  The  first  emancipation, 
largely  physical,  called  for  a  second  emancipation, 
largely  mental  and  moral.  Interest  in  the  one  should 
insure  interest  in  the  other.  If  experimental  result  was 
needed  in  order  to  insure  a  safe  investment  in  hu 
manity,  here  it  was.  The  original  slave  was  before 
them,  a  convincing  argument  and  advocate. 

This  first  trip  North  was   fraught  with  immense 
consequences.     It  brought  Booker  Washington  before\ 
the  public  as  a  revelation  of  the  possibilities  of  Negro 
freedom.     An  insight  was  afforded  into  the  Southern/ 
situation  such  as  had  never  been  given  before.     Ther 
Negro  was  not  to  become  a  ward  of  the  nation  as  the 


184    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

4  v  1  Indian  was.  He  had  force  which  needed  only  an  out 
let.  He  did  not  so  much  need  a  fish  as  a  hook.  The 
clew  was  clear — would  it  be  followed  ?  This  was  the 
state  of  reflection  occasioned  by  that  visit. 

While  it  meant  substantial  relief  for  the  stress  of 
the  present,  it  meant  more  for  the  future.  If  under 
disadvantages  so  grave  the  Negro  had  been  able  to 
come  thus  far,  what  might  he  not  achieve  for  the 
future  if  timely  assistance  was  his?  This  meant  the 
uplifting  of  Tuskegee,  which  was  destined  to  over 
shadow  all  other  institutions  and  interests  fostered  in 
behalf  of  the  black  race.  Its  success  meant  the  final 
dissolution  of  race  tension  in  the  South.  Here  was 
manifestly  the  dissolvent — to  elevate  the  race  to  a 
standard  of  dignity  and  merit  equal  to  that  already 
existing  for  the  white  race,  which  would  answer  all 
questions,  equal  all  possible  demands,  and  silence  the 
disquietude  forever.  The  plan  for  doing  this  had  been 
found  and  needed  only  the  means  to  put  it  into  exe 
cution.  This  was  the  logic  of  the  situation. 

The  impression  produced  on  the  North  by  this  visit 
of  Washington  was  most  profound.  It  was  but  the 
beginning  of  hundreds  of  others.  He  had  caught  the 
eye  and  ear  of  the  people  as  had  no  other  man  of 
his  race.  He  awoke  hopefulness  for  the  future.  He 
injected  fresh  ideas.  He  aroused  a  sympathy  never 
before  entertained  for  the  colored  people  of  the  coun 
try.  He  riveted  attention  with  a  seriousness  never 
before  shown.  He  brought  to  the  people  a  new  con 
science,  and  his  deliverances  were  of  superlative  value 
to  the  whole  country. 


THE  PROSPECT  WIDENS  185 

The  large  new  building  could  now  easily  go  forward 
to  completion.  This  finished  and  another,  and  yet  many 
others,  would  follow  as  they  were  needed.  While 
the  intensity  of  his  labors  was  not  diminished,  but 
rather  increased,  his  success  was  secured.  The  colored 
people  of  the  South  were  inspired  by  fresh  hope  and 
courage,  while  the  whites  applauded,  and  many  aided. 
The  points  of  hostility  began  to  disappear  and  those 
of  sympathetic  contact  began  to  multiply. 

Under  the  efficient  management  of  a  corps  of  teach 
ers  who  had  been  trained  under  his  direction,  the 
affairs  of  the  school  went  along  during  his  absence  as 
when  he  was  present.  His  impress  was  on  the  school, 
the  pace  must  be  kept  up  in  every  department,  order 
strictly  observed  and  enforced,  and  during  all  the  long 
years  of  its  existence,  with  him  frequently  absent  from 
business  necessity,  there  was  never  an  escapade  or  un 
becoming  demonstration  of  any  kind  on  the  campus. 
Not  more  remarkable  is  the  school  itself  in  its  peculiar 
history  than  is  the  fact  of  the  absolute  absence  of 
disorder  among  the  students.  Its  morale  accounts  for 
the  fact  that  among  its  many  thousand  students  who 
in  the  succession  of  years  have  taken  their  places  in 
the  world,  not  one  of  them,  so  far  as  can  be  ascer 
tained,  ever  fell  into  serious  disorder  after  quitting 
the  school.  The  pace  there  set  was  kept  up  in  after 
life.  This  high  standard  Tuskegee  won  within  the 
compass  of  a  few  years.  While  up  to  the  time  now 
under  review  much  had  been  achieved,  it  was  but  the 
beginning.  A  hard,  long,  and  laborious  struggle  still 
stretched  into  the  years  to  come. 


XIV 
NATIONAL  PROMINENCE 

FOR  fourteen  years  Booker  T.  Washington  had 
been  at  Tuskegee.  By  this  time  the  school  had 
vastly  grown  in  every  way.  The  attendance 
was  now  considerably  over  a  thousand,  a  number  of 
large  brick  buildings  had  been  erected,  the  students 
first  making  the  bricks  and  then  putting  up  the  struc 
tures,  many  departments  were  in  successful  operation, 
outlying  and  well-tilled  farms  were  adjacent,  ranches 
for  stock  of  different  kinds,  dairies,  gardens,  hot 
houses,  water-works  and  an  electric-plant,  and  other 
appurtenances  were  attached,  and  the  entire  face  of 
the  region  had  become  transformed.  The  school  had 
now  become  The  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial  In 
stitute,  and  so  proficient  that  it  was  now  famous 
throughout  the  country.  Its  graduates  had  gone  into 
different  states,  and  in  their  varied  professions  had 
made  the  school  still  more  famous,  while  not  a  few 
had  established  schools  modeled  on  that  at  Tuskegee. 
By  this  time,  The  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial 
Institute  was  the  most  talked-of  school  in  the  country. 
From  having  gone  North  first  to  solicit  funds,  the 
trips  of  Principal  Washington  had  become  frequent 
in  later  years,  in  consequence  of  the  invested  funds  of 
the  endowment,  which  had  steadily  increased  as  a  re- 

186 


NATIONAL  PROMINENCE  187 

suit  of  the  growth  of  the  school.  On  many  occasions 
he  had  addressed  audiences  in  the  cities  of  the  North 
and  his  sentiments  had  attracted  wide  attention  and 
evoked  much  favorable  comment  both  in  the  North 
ern  and  the  Southern  press.  Up  to  1895  he  had  deliv 
ered  no  address  to  a  popular  audience  in  the  South, 
but  on  the  opening  of  the  International  and  Cotton 
States  Exposition  at  Atlanta,  Georgia,  during  that 
year,  he  was  .chosen  to  be  one  of  the  speakers.  So 
great  an  innovation  as  that  of  having  a  Negro  thus 
distinguished,  and  he  an  ex-slave,  to  sit  on  the 
platform  with  white  speakers,  both  gentlemen  and 
ladies,  and  deliver  an  address,  awoke  wide  comment. 

Widely  divergent  conditions  at  that  time  prevailed 
throughout  the  South.  In  the  current  discussions  of 
the  time,  the  Negro  came  in  for  his  full  share.  Here 
and  there  to  the  extent  of  the  encouragement  given 
him,  he  was  demolishing  all  former  theories  concern 
ing  him,  was  sacrificing  much  for  education,  buying 
land  and  cultivating  it  with  marked  success,  building 
homes,  churches,  and  school-houses,  and  gaining 
rapidly  in  public  confidence  and  esteem,  but  the  sub 
ject  of  the  Negro  and  his  elevation  was  not  a  con 
genial  one  to  many  ears  in  the  South. 

In  the  central  South,  Hampton  was  known  but 
slightly,  but  right  here  was  a  tremendous  fact  that 
stood  out  conspicuously  and  indisputably — the  Tus- 
kegee  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute  was  a  great 
institution,  founded  and  fostered  by  an  ex-slave,  where 
the  utmost  order  prevailed  and  the  most  excellent 
results  were  achieved.  It  had  won  its  way  by  merit, 


188    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

and  was  most  highly  prized  by  those  who  knew  it 
best.  In  the  old,  staid,  and  refined  community  of 
Tuskegee,  long  noted  as  an  educational  center,  this 
colored  school  had  grown  to  proportions  that  placed 
it  in  advance  of  schools  of  established  reputation  for 
many  years.  It  would  have  seemed  that  at  no  point 
could  a  colored  school  have  encountered  more  ob 
structions  than  at  Tuskegee,  yet  the  leading  citizens 
of  the  town  were  enthusiastic  in  their  praise  of  its 
merits,  and  readily  resented  any  reflection  on  the 
school.  Still  racial  antipathy  was  widely  prevalent, 
notwithstanding  the  sentiments  of  many  had  been  ma 
terially  changed  by  the  exhibitions  of  the  unques 
tioned  capability  of  the  Negro. 

As  was  to  be  expected,  the  invitation  extended  to 
a  Negro  at  that  time  was  made  the  occasion  on  the 
part  of  some  newspapers  to  sound  the  apprehensive 
warning  that  the  South  was  veering  in  the  direction 
of  that  everlasting  specter,  "  social  equality."  While 
Booker  Washington  had  frequently  spoken  at  the 
North,  only  one  slight  occasion  had  been  afforded  him 
to  speak  to  a  white  audience  in  the  South.  He  had 
spoken  before  the  National  Education  Association, 
in  which  body  were  many  Southerners;  in  the  old 
historic  churches  of  Plymouth,  in  Brooklyn,  and 
Trinity,  in  Boston;  before  the  Twentieth  Century 
Club,  Boston,  and  before  the  political  science  club  of 
Cornell  University,  and  elsewhere,  with  enthusiastic 
acceptance,  and  had  won  wide  distinction  throughout 
the  North  as  a  speaker  of  uncommon  ability.  Nor 
was  he  without  a  certain  degree  of  eagerness  to  speak 


NATIONAL  PROMINENCE  189- 

before  an  audience  in  the  South,  not  in  gratification 
of  a  vain  ambition,  but  in  order  that  he  might  be  able 
to  relieve  still  more  the  tension  of  the  times.  That 
which  he  had  succeeded  in  doing  at  Tuskegee  in 
practical  life,  resulting  in  curbing  undue  sentiment  of 
hostility,  he  believed  he  could  effect  in  another  way,  if 
the  Southern  people  could  hear  him. 

There  were  conditions  which  favored  the  invitation 
to  speak  at  the  Atlanta  exposition,  one  of  which  was*\ 
that  at  that  time  Atlanta  was  regarded  as  the  most 
cosmopolitan  city  in  the  South.    It  was  seeking  to  at 
tract  capital  from  all  quarters,  in  the  worthy  ambition 
of  its  people  to  make  it  a  great  city.    Much  Northern 
capital  had  already  been  invested  there,  and  at  that 
time  many  Northern  people  were  traversing  the  South 
with  a  view  to  investment,   hence  its  cosmopolitan  ^ 
spirit.     Atlanta  would  set  the  pace  of  national  con 
ciliation.     It  was  the  home  of  Henry  Grady,  than 
whom  the  South  never  had  a  more  sanely  conciliatory  ,« 
spirit. 

Nor  was  the  spirit  of  the  growing  city  other  than 
the  most  worthy.  Nothing  of  marked  consequence  was 
expected  from  the  speech  of  Booker  Washington. 
The  mass  of  the  people  of  Atlanta,  or  of  the  South, 
knew  little  more  of  him  than  that  he  was  an  enter 
prising  colored  man  who  had  gone  to  Tuskegee  and 
had  built  a  school  for  the  education  of  colored  people, 
and  that  he  was  succeeding  beyond  the  original  ex 
pectations  of  those  who  regarded  the  school  at  the 
outset.  This  vague  idea  and  estimate  was  about  all 
that  was  known  of  him.  His  speech  would  be  brief, 


190    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

anyway,  and  it  was  easily  conceived  what  kind  of 
speech  a  Negro  would  make.  Thus  much  could  be 
afforded  for  the  sake  of  imparting  to  the  occasion  of 
the  exposition  the  cosmopolitanism  which  it  deserved 
as  a  point  where  an  international  show  was  to  be  had. 
That  the  speech  would  of  itself  be  of  any  moment,  few 
thought. 

Altogether  different  was  it  with  Washington.  To 
him  it  would  afford  an  opportunity  to  say  some  things 
which  he  felt  should  be  said,  and  becomingly  said, 
by  one  of  his  race.  He  had  a  message  for  the  people, 
the  people  of  both  races,  yea,  of  all  races,  and  the 
consciousness  that  he  would  be  able  fittingly  to  say 
just  the  things  necessary  if  the  chance  were  once  given 
him.  He  desired,  as  a  colored  man,  to  open  his  heart 
to  all  people  alike.  If  an  opportunity  like  this  could 
be  his,  he  believed  that  he  could  create  a  new  epoch 
of  sentiment  between  the  two  races,  white  and  black. 
A  slight  bit  of  a  chance  had  been  afforded  him  in  At 
lanta  just  two  years  before,  but  it  was  altogether  too 
brief  to  afford  an  opportunity  for  a  distinctive  de 
liverance  that  was  worth  while. 

The  occasion  alluded  to  was  that  of  the  international 
convention  of  Christian  Workers  held  in  Atlanta  in 
1893.  Washington  was  invited  to  be  present  on  the 
occasion  and  deliver  a  talk  of  just  five  minutes.  The 
time  of  the  convention  seriously  conflicted  with  an 
engagement  which  he  had  in  Boston,  but  so  eager  was 
he  to  be  able  to  speak  in  the  South,  that  he  deter 
mined  to  be  present  if  to  speak  only  five  minutes. 
Though  earnestly  engaged  in  Boston,  he  timed  him- 


NATIONAL  PROMINENCE  191 

self  to  be  present  at  the  appointed  hour.  On  examin 
ing  the  schedules  of  the  trains,  he  found  that  he  could 
reach  Atlanta,  remain  just  one  hour,  during  which 
time  he  would  speak,  and  hurry  back  to  Boston.  This 
he  did,  making  a  round  trip  of  about  three  thousand 
miles  in  order  to  make  a  five  minutes'  talk.  Short 
though  the  time  for  speaking  was,  he  would  meet  in 
the  convention  of  Christian  Workers  influential  men 
and  women  of  both  sections,  North  and  South,  and 
he  deemed  it  of  sufficient  importance  to  make  the  sac 
rifice  of  time  and  money.  He  packed  within  five 
minutes  just  as  much  as  possible  in  giving  at  least  an 
inkling  of  that  which  he  was  doing  at  Tuskegee.  But 
while  the  little  talk  was  well  received,  it  was  far  from 
giving  Washington  satisfaction. 

Doubtless  the  invitation  which  came  to  him  to  speak 
at  the  opening  exercises  of  the  exposition  was  primarily 
due  to  that  which  preceded  in  connection  with  a  trip 
to  the  national  capital.  A  large  deputation  of  promi 
nent  Atlanta  citizens  were  to  appear  before  a  Con 
gressional  committee  to  ask  for  an  appropriation  from 
the  government  in  promotion  of  the  enterprise.  Wash 
ington  was  invited  to  accompany  the  party,  in  which 
were  two  other  prominent  colored  men,  Bishops  Grant 
and  Gaines.  The  most  distinguished  citizens  of  At 
lanta,  and  of  Georgia,  were  in  the  white  contingent 
of  the  deputation,  to  the  number  of  twenty-five.  This 
appearance  before  a  Congressional  committee  was  a 
novel  venture  to  the  young  man,  and  he  seriously 
doubted  his  ability  to  contribute  to  the  success  of  the 
object  of  the  trip.  He  was  preceded  before  the  com- 


192    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

mittee  by  several  white  gentlemen,  including  the 
mayor  of  Atlanta  and  others  of  the  city  officials,  as 
well  as  by  some  of  the  state  officers,  and  the  two 
colored  bishops.  Washington  was  the  last  to  be 
heard. 

When  he  arose  to  speak  it  was  in  a  very  unosten 
tatious  way,  but  with  projectile  force.  His  plea  was 
that  if  Congress  wished  to  assist  in  removing  the  agita 
tion  of  the  race  question  from  the  South,  and  bring 
ing  about  a  condition  of  race  relationship  that  would 
be  conducive  to  the  good  of  both  peoples,  it  could  not 
be  more  effectually  done  than  by  encouraging  the  ma 
terial  and  intellectual  development  of  both  races.  A 
rare  opportunity  for  doing  this  was  afforded  by  the 
proposed  exposition,  at  which  both  races  would  be 
able  to  show  the  progress  made  since  the  freedom  of 
the  slaves,  while  the  general  effect  of  the  exhibition 
would  be  to  encourage,  on  the  part  of  both  races,  con 
tinued  effort  in  the  same  direction.  He  urged  that 
while  the  Negro  should  not  be  deprived  by  unfair 
means  of  the  franchise,  still  politics  alone  would  not 
save  the  Negro,  as  lying  back  of  the  ballot  was  that 
which  gave  to  the  ballot  practical  significance  and 
worth — property,  industry,  skill,  and  economy,  intelli 
gence  and  weight  of  character,  without  the  possession 
of  which  the  race  could  not  advance.  Should  the  ap 
propriation  asked  for  be  given  by  Congress,  then 
something  of  practical,  tangible  value  would  be  given, 
that  which  would  be  alike  permanent  to  both  races. 
It  was  the  first  opportunity  since  the  close  of  the  war 
for  Congress  to  manifest  an  interest  in  undoing  much 


NATIONAL  PROMINENCE  193 

that  should  not  be  in  the  states  of  the  South,  and  in 
doing  much  that  should  be  done. 

In  a  speech  of  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  he  spoke 
with  perfect  ease  and  even  with  abandon.  When  he 
closed  the  Atlanta  delegation  grouped  about  him,  con 
gratulated  him,  expressed  absolute  satisfaction  at  the 
contribution  that  he  had  made,  and  most  cordially 
thanked  him  for  the  timely  service.  With  unanimity 
the  committee  recommended  the  appropriation.  Just 
how  much  that  simple  talk  had  to  do  with  the  invita 
tion  that  came  later  to  speak  at  the  opening  of  the 
exposition  in  the  fall  following,  there  is  no  way  of 
deciding. 

At  any  rate,  the  invitation  came  in  due  time.  Wash 
ington  regarded  it  as  one  of  the  golden  chances  of  his 
life.  With  the  utmost  care  he  prepared  his  address. 
He  felt  profoundly  how  much  depended,  not  only  on 
that  which  he  should  be  able  to  say,  but  on  how  he 
should  say  it.  Perhaps  the  destiny  of  his  race  in  the 
South  would  depend  on  that  speech.  He  wrote  it 
and  had  it  well  in  hand.  He  was  not  without  cer 
tain  misgivings  of  his  success.  The  pressure  of  the 
peculiar  condition  of  the  times  was  on  him.  He 
prayed  that  he  might  succeed,  not  as  a  means  of  per 
sonal  gratification  only,  but  as  a  means  of  helpfulness 
to  his  people.  If  he  could  only  succeed,  he  was  sure 
that  a  new  era  would  dawn. 

The  morning  came  for  Principal  Washington  to 
leave  Tuskegee  for  Atlanta  to  deliver  the  address  on 
the  next  day.  He  felt  a  burden  of  responsibility  never 
before  experienced.  That  he  might  have  some  sup- 


194    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

port  for  the  sentiments  expressed  in  his  address,  he 
requested  the  presence  of  the  faculty  that  he  might 
read  its  content  to  them.  If  anything  was  to  be  added, 
or  omitted,  he  wanted  it  frankly  stated  right  there. 
With  emphatic  unanimity  it  was  approved  through 
out  by  the  entire  body.  This  heartened  him  afresh. 
But  he  was  to  undertake  in  the  South,  in  her  chief 
inland  city,  that  which  no  other  of  his  race  had  ever 
been  called  on  to  do.  He  could  not  escape  the  haunt 
ing  question,  "  Suppose  you  should  fail?" 

As  he  was  leaving  Tuskegee  in  company  with  his 
wife  for  the  train  to  Atlanta,  a  white  friend,  a  farmer 
from  the  country  who  lived  some  distance  away,  said 
to  him :  "  Washington,  you've  got  a  job  on  your  hands. 
You  have  spoken  before  the  whites  of  the  North,  the 
Negroes  of  the  South,  and  to  us  country  white  folks 
about  farming,  but  when  you  get  to  Atlanta  to-mor 
row,  you  will  have  all  sorts  of  folks  to  speak  to — 
Northern  whites,  Southern  whites,  and  the  Negroes 
all  put  together.  I'm  afraid  you  are  going  to  get  into 
a  tight  place,  old  fellow."  Washington  was  feeling 
just  that  which  his  white  friend  from  the  country 
expressed,  but  he  set  his  face  toward  Atlanta. 

When  his  train  pulled  under  the  car-shed  at  At 
lanta,  there  had  gathered  a  curious  throng  eager  to 
see  the  Negro  who  was  to  speak  the  next  morning  at 
the  exposition  grounds.  Curious  gazers  were  pointing 
him  out,  and  a  large  crowd  of  the  people  of  his  own 
race  were  on  hand  as  eager  to  see  him  as  any.  He 
could  hear  such  expressions  as,  "  That's  him,"  '  Yon 
der  he  is,"  and  a  colored  teamster  regarding  him  with 


NATIONAL  PROMINENCE  195 

yawning  jaws,  said  in  a  stentorian  voice,  "  Dat's  de 
man  o'  my  race  what's  gwine  ter  speak  out  yonder  at 
de  Expersition  to-morrer,  an'  I'm  gwine  ter  hear  'im 
shore."  Atlanta  was  jammed  with  crowds  from  every 
quarter  of  the  country. 

In  flaming  headlines  the  afternoon  papers  printed 
the  opening  event  on  the  morrow.  Washington's 
heart  was  in  his  mouth.  The  supreme  moment  of  his 
life  had  come.  The  night  was  not  a  restful  one.  The 
early  hours  were  broken  by  the  tramp  of  crowds,  and 
the  cries  of  newsboys.  He  ate  but  little  breakfast. 
In  his  room  alone  he  paced  his  floor  as  the  brief  time 
passed,  went  over  his  speech,  and  in  his  dependence 
fell  on  his  knees  and  prayed  for  strength  to  meet  the 
serious  responsibility  of  the  hour.  He  prayed  for 
his  people,  and  that  his  address  might  be  used  in  some 
measure  to  procure  their  relief.  He  was  alone  with  his 
own  beating  heart  and  with  God. 

Soon  a  committee  of  colored  men  appeared  to  escort 
Washington  to  his  place  in  the  procession  which  was 
to  wind  slowly  out  to  the  grounds  under  the  hot  sun. 
The  presence  of  colored  men  wearing  flashing  rosettes, 
and  speaking  in  exciting  tones,  did  not  relieve  his 
nervousness.  Negro  military  organizations,  and  car 
riages  bearing  hundreds  of  his  people  had  a  conspicu 
ous  place  in  the  long  procession,  which  crept  like  a 
sluggish  stream,  to  the  exposition  grounds.  For  a 
considerable  area  about  the  auditorium  the  scene  was 
one  of  animation.  Thousands  were  struggling  to 
gain  entrance,  and  were  held  back  by  the  police. 
Washington  entered  from  the  rear.  In  the  immense 


196    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

inclosure  were  seated  fully  fifteen  thousand  people. 
He  was  greeted  by  loud  cheers  from  his  own  people 
and  with  only  a  ripple  of  applause  from  the  whites, 
but  every  eye  was  fixed  on  him. 

After  reaching  Atlanta,  Washington  had  learned 
that  many  whites  had  expressed  a  wish  to  hear  him  out 
of  sheer  curiosity,  simply  to  see  what  a  Negro  would 
do  with  himself  in  a  position  so  unusual  and  novel; 
while  a  few  whites  were  friendly  to  him,  many  were 
going  to  hear  him  as  they  would  attend  a  minstrel 
show,  to  see  a  Negro  make  a  fool  of  himself.  Instead 
of  depressing  him,  this  nerved  him  with  fresh  cour 
age.  Just  thirty-eight  years  old,  and  at  his  best,  he 
was  the  center  of  attraction.  Besides  the  opening  ad 
dress  by  Governor  Bullock,  and  another  by  a  lady, 
Washington's  was  the  only  one  of  any  length  to  be 
delivered. 

The  bustle  of  preparation  over,  the  bands  blared, 
an  ode  was  sung,  and  the  preceding  addresses  were 
made.  With  guarded  caution  of  expression,  Governor 
Bullock  said  on  introducing  the  colored  speaker :  "  We 
have  with  us  to-day  a  representative  of  Negro  enter 
prise  and  Negro  civilization,  Principal  Booker  T. 
Washington,  of  Tuskegee,  Alabama."  Wildly  greeted 
by  the  large  contingent  of  colored  people,  he  stepped 
to  the  front,  his  face  perfectly  calm,  and  in  voice  as 
clear  as  the  notes  of  a  trumpet,  he  said: 

"  Mr.  President,  and  gentlemen  of  the  Board  of  Di 
rectors,  and  citizens :  One-third  of  the  population  of  the 
South  is  of  the  Negro  race.  No  enterprise  seeking  the 
material,  civil,  or  moral  welfare  of  this  section  can  dis- 


NATIONAL  PROMINENCE  197 

regard  this  element  of  our  population  and  reach  the 
highest  success.  I  but  convey  to  you,  Mr.  President  and 
Directors,  the  sentiment  of  the  masses  of  my  race  when 
I  say  that  in  no  way  have  the  value  and  manhood  of  the 
American  Negro  been  more  fittingly  and  generously 
recognized  than  by  the  managers  of  this  Exposition  at 
every  stage  of  its  progress.  It  is  a  recognition  that  will 
do  more  to  cement  the  friendship  of  the  two  races  than 
any  occurrence  since  the  dawn  of  our  freedom. 

"  Not  only  this,  but  the  opportunity  here  afforded 
will  awaken  among  us  a  new  era  of  industrial  progress. 
Ignorant  and  inexperienced,  it  is  not  strange  that  in  the 
first  years  of  our  new  life  we  began  at  the  top  instead 
of  at  the  bottom ;  that  a  seat  in  Congress  or  in  the  state 
legislature  was  more  sought  than  real  estate  or  industrial 
skill ;  that  the  political  convention  or  stump  speaking  had 
more  attraction  than  starting  a  dairy  farm  or  truck 
garden.  A  ship  lost  at  sea  for  many  days  suddenly 
sighted  a  friendly  vessel.  From  the  mast  of  the  unfor 
tunate  vessel  was  seen  a  signal,  '  Water,  water ;  we  die 
of  thirst.'  The  answer  from  the  friendly  vessel  at  once 
came  back,  *  Cast  down  your  bucket  where  you  are.'  A 
second  time  the  signal,  '  Water,  water ;  send  us  water ! ' 
ran  up  from  the  distressed  vessel,  and  was  answered, 
'  Cast  down  your  bucket  where  you  are.'  And  a  third 
and  fourth  signal  for  water  was  answered,  '  Cast  down 
your  bucket  where  you  are.'  The  captain  of  the  dis 
tressed  vessel,  at  last  heeding  the  injunction,  cast  down 
his  bucket,  and  it  came  up  full  of  fresh,  sparkling  water 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Amazon  River.  To  those  of  my 
race  who  depend  on  bettering  their  condition  in  a  foreign 
land,  or  who  underestimate  the  importance  of  cultivating 
friendly  relations  with  the  Southern  white  man,  who  is 
their  next-door  neighbor,  I  would  say :  '  Cast  down  your 
bucket  where  you  are  ' — cast  it  down  in  making  friends 
in  every  manly  way  of  the  people  of  all  races  by  whom 
we  are  surrounded. 

"  Cast  it  down  in  agriculture,  in  mechanics,  in  com 
merce,  in  domestic  service,  and  in  the  professions.  And 
in  this  connection  it  is  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  whatever 


198    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

other  sins  the  South  may  be  called  to  bear,  when  it 
comes  to  business,  pure  and  simple,  it  is  in  the  South 
that  the  Negro  is  given  a  man's  chance  in  the  commercial 
world,  and  in  nothing  is  this  Exposition  more  eloquent 
than  in  emphasizing  this  chance.  Our  greatest  danger 
is  that  in  the  great  leap  from  slavery  to  freedom  we 
may  overlook  the  fact  that  the  masses  of  us  are  to  live 
by  the  productions  of  our  hands,  and  fail  to  keep  in 
mind  that  we  are  to  prosper  in  proportion  as  we  learn 
to  dignify  and  glorify  common  labor,  and  put  brains 
and  skill  into  the  common  occupations  of  life;  we  shall 
prosper  in  proportion  as  we  learn  to  draw  the  line  be 
tween  the  superficial  and  the  substantial,  the  ornamental 
gewgaws  of  life  and  the  useful.  No  race  can  prosper 
till  it  learns  that  there  is  as  much  dignity  in  tilling  a  field 
as  in  writing  a  poem.  It  is  at  the  bottom  of  life  we 
must  begin,  and  not  at  the  top.  Nor  should  we  permit 
our  grievances  to  overshadow  our  opportunities. 

"  To  those  of  the  white  race  who  look  to  the  incoming 
of  those  of  foreign  birth  and  strange  tongue  and  habits, 
for  the  prosperity  of  the  South,  were  I  permitted  I 
would  repeat  what  I  say  to  my  own  race,  '  Cast  down 
your  bucket  where  you  are.'  Cast  it  down  among  the 
eight  millions  of  Negroes  whose  habits  you  know,  whose 
fidelity  and  love  you  have  tested  in  days  when  to  have 
proved  treacherous  meant  the  ruin  of  your  firesides. 
Cast  down  your  bucket  among  these  people  who  have, 
without  strikes  and  labor  wars,  tilled  your  fields,  cleared 
your  forests,  builded  your  railroads  and  cities,  and 
brought  forth  treasures  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth  and 
helped  make  possible  this  magnificent  representation  of 
the  progress  of  the  South.  Cast  down  your  bucket  among 
my  people,  help  and  encourage  them  as  you  are  doing  on 
these  grounds,  and  added  to  education  of  head,  hand, 
and  heart,  you  will  find  that  they  will  buy  your  surplus 
land,  make  blossom  the  waste  places  in  your  fields, 
and  run  your  factories.  While  doing  this,  you  can  be 
sure  in  the  future,  as  in  the  past,  that  you  and  your 
families  will  be  surrounded  by  the  most  patient,  faithful, 
law-abiding,  and  unresentful  people  that  the  world  has 


NATIONAL  PROMINENCE  199 

seen.  As  we  have  proved  our  loyalty  to  you  in  the  past, 
in  nursing  your  children,  watching  by  the  sick-beds  of 
your  mothers  and  fathers,  and  often  following  them  with 
tear-dimmed  eyes  to  their  graves,  so  in  the  future,  in 
our  humble  way,  we  shall  stand  by  you  with  a  devotion 
that  no  foreigner  can  approach,  ready  to  lay  down  our 
lives,  if  need  be,  in  defense  of  yours,  interlacing  our 
industrial,  commercial,  civil,  and  religious  life  with  yours 
in  a  way  that  shall  make  the  interests  of  both  races  one. 
In  all  things  that  are  purely  social  we  can  be  as  separate 
as  the  fingers,  yet  one  as  the  hands  in  all  things  essential 
to  mutual  progress. 

"  There  is  no  defense  or  security  for  any  of  us  except 
in  the  highest  intelligence  and  development  of  all.  If 
anywhere  there  are  efforts  tending  to  curtail  the  fullest 
growth  of  the  Negro,  let  those  efforts  be  turned  into 
stimulating  encouragement,  and  making  him  the  most 
useful  and  intelligent  citizen.  Effort  or  means  so  in 
vested  will  pay  a  thousand  per  cent  interest.  These 
efforts  will  be  twice  blessed — blessing  '  him  that  gives 
and  him  that  takes/  There  is  no  escape  in  the  law  of 
man  or  God  from  the  inevitable : 

'The  laws  of  changeless  justice  bind 
Oppressor  and  oppressed; 
And  close  as  sin  and  suffering  joined 
We  march  to  fate  abreast.' 

"  Nearly  sixteen  millions  of  hands  will  aid  you  in  pull 
ing  the  load  upward,  or  they  will  pull  the  load  downward 
against  you.  We  shall  constitute  one-third  and  more 
of  the  ignorance  and  crime  of  the  South,  or  one-third 
of  its  intelligence  and  progress ;  we  shall  contribute  one- 
third  to  the  business  and  industrial  prosperity  of  the 
South,  or  we  shall  prove  a  veritable  body  of  death, 
stagnating,  depressing,  retarding  every  effort  to  advance 
the  body  politic. 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  Exposition,  as  we  present  to  you 
our  humble  effort  at  an  exhibition  of  our  progress,  you 
must  not  expect  overmuch.  Starting  thirty  years  ago 
with  ownership  here  and  there  in  a  few  quilts  and 


200    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

pumpkins  and  chickens  (gathered  from  miscellaneous 
sources),  remember  that  the  path  that  has  led  from 
these  to  the  invention  and  production  of  agricultural 
implements,  buggies,  steam-engines,  newspapers,  books, 
statuary,  carving,  paintings,  the  management  of  drug 
stores  and  banks,  has  not  been  trodden  without  contact 
with  thorns  and  thistles.  While  we  take  pride  in  what 
we  exhibit  as  the  result  of  our  independent  efforts,  we 
do  not  for  a  moment  forget  that  our  part  in  this  exhibi 
tion  would  fall  far  short  of  your  expectations  but  for 
the  constant  help  that  has  come  to  our  educational  life, 
not  only  from  the  Southern  states,  but  especially  from 
Northern  philanthropists,  who  have  made  their  gifts  a 
constant  stream  of  blessing  and  encouragement. 

"  The  wisest  among  my  race  understand  that  the  agi 
tation  of  the  questions  of  social  equality  is  the  ex- 
tremest  folly,  and  that  progress  in  all  the  privileges  that 
will  come  to  us  must  be  the  result  of  severe  and  con 
stant  struggle,  rather  than  of  artificial  forcing.  No  race 
that  has  anything  to  contribute  to  the  markets  of  the 
world  is  long  in  any  degree  ostracized.  It  is  important 
and  right  that  all  privileges  of  the  law  be  ours,  but  it 
is  vastly  more  important  that  we  be  prepared  for  the 
exercise  of  these  privileges.  The  opportunity  to  earn 
a  dollar  in  a  factory  just  now  is  worth  infinitely  more 
than  the  opportunity  to  spend  a  dollar  in  an  opera-house. 

"  In  conclusion,  may  I  repeat  that  nothing  within 
thirty  years  has  given  us  more  hope  and  encouragement, 
and  drawn  us  so  near  to  you  of  the  white  race,  as  the 
opportunity  offered  by  this  Exposition;  and  here  bend 
ing,  as  it  were,  over  the  altar  that  represents  the  strug 
gles  of  your  race  and  mine,  both  starting  practically 
empty-handed  three  decades  ago,  I  pledge  that  in  your 
effort  to  work  out  the  great  and  intricate  problem  which 
God  has  laid  at  the  doors  of  the  South,  you  shall  have 
at  all  times  the  patient,  sympathetic  help  of  my  race; 
only  let  this  be  constantly  borne  in  mind,  that  while 
from  representations  in  these  buildings  of  the  product 
of  field,  of  forest,  of  mine,  of  factory,  of  letters  and 
art,  much  good  will  come,  yet  far  above  and  beyond 


NATIONAL  PROMINENCE  201 

material  benefits  will  be  that  higher  good,  that,  let  us 
pray  God,  will  come  in  a  blotting  out  of  sectional  differ 
ences  and  racial  animosities  and  suspicions,  in  a  de 
termination  to  administer  absolute  justice,  in  a  willing 
obedience  among  all  classes  to  the  mandates  of  law. 
This,  this,  coupled  with  our  material  prosperity,  will 
bring  into  our  beloved  South  a  new  heaven  and  a  new 
earth." 


XV 
EFFECTS  OF  THE  ADDRESS 

THE  address  was  historic.  It  sounded  a  note 
never  before  heard  within  the  borders  of  the 
South.  It  came  from  a  source  least  expected, 
and  was  magnanimous,  serious,  pathetic.  It  was  a 
manly  note.  Within  it  lurked  no  uncertain  sound,  no 
implied  threat,  no  trace  of  murmuring,  no  undue  as 
sertion.  It  was  at  once  a  recognition  of  the  broad 
principles  of  a  complicated  situation,  and  the  remedy 
for  it.  No  message  could  have  been  saner,  none 
sounder.  It  produced  a  marvelous  effect.  Washing 
ton's  wish  was  gratified — he  had  ushered  in  a  new 
era.  When  the  tall,  stalwart  man  of  dusky  hue  turned 
to  sit  down,  he  was  prevented  from  doing  so  by  an 
ovation  that  stirred  the  vast  assemblage.  Governor 
Bullock  rushed  across  the  stage  and  grasped  his  hand. 
This  was  the  signal  for  many  others  to  do  likewise. 
The  speaker  stood  smiling,  and  gracefully  returned  the 
universal  greeting.  A  giant  had  risen  from  the 
ranks  of  the  once  enslaved.  He  had  come  pleading 
for  peace  and  good-will  among  men  of  all  classes. 
He  hailed  from  a  race  much  misunderstood,  much 
underrated,  much  abused.  On  his  return  trip  to  Tus- 
kegee,  there  was  a  popular  ovation  all  along  the  way. 
Throngs  of  people  of  both  races  pressed  toward  the 

203 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  ADDRESS  203 

train  to  shake  the  hand  of  the  messenger  of  good 
will. 

The  result  of  this  notable  occasion  was  both  imme 
diate  and  remote.  Directly  the  effect  was  electrical, 
inspiring,  hopeful,  revelational.  Rarely,  before,  would 
a  white  man  shake  hands  with  a  Negro,  but  now  it 
was  irresistible.  In  the  thrill  of  the  hour,  the  Negro 
was  a  man  among  men.  It  was  a  scene  never  before 
witnessed  in  the  South.  Another  wide  rift  had  been 
made  in  the  cloud  of  misunderstanding.  But  even  in 
advance  of  this  scene  there  were  indications  pregnant 
of  immense  meaning.  During  the  delivery  of  the  ad 
dress  the  vast  concourse  was  a  subject  of  study.  Those 
who  had  deemed  the  step  an  unwise  one,  gradually 
underwent  a  psychological  reaction,  as  the  changing 
expressions  of  their  faces  showed.  From  looks  of  dis 
gust,  but  of  submissive  toleration  in  obedience  to  the 
propriety  of  the  occasion,  their  faces  completely  re 
laxed.  Those  who  had  come  to  witness  a  farce,  a 
grotesque  performance,  which  would  settle  forever 
the  folly  of  injecting  a  Negro  into  an  occasion  like 
this,  were  completely  disarmed  and  nonplused.  Those 
who  had  favored  the  invitation  to  Professor  Washing 
ton  were,  of  course,  delighted,  while  the  orderly 
colored  people  present  were  overwhelmed  with  joy. 

The  orator  was  calm  and  dignified  throughout.  He 
showed  no  sign  of  embarrassment,  as  if  seeking  to 
thread  his  cautious  way  through  a  labyrinth  of  diffi 
culty,  halting  here,  and  hesitating  there,  lest  he  should 
let  fall  some  unbecoming  and  unwelcome  word.  There 
was  no  abjectness  to  one  race  in  politic  words,  nor 


204    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

reflection  on  his  own  people  in  order  to  become  the 
exceptional  hero  of  the  popular  side;  nor  was  there 
adroit  compromise  of  view  or  evasion  of  principle  at 
any  point,  but  a  straight,  direct,  projectile  statement 
of  principles,  to  question  which  would  react  on  the 
commonplace  views  of  ordinary  humanity. 

Nor  could  there  be  even  microscopically  discerned 
in  manner,  matter,  or  method  the  slightest  effort  to 
escape  the  task  of  urging  on  all  alike  the  opportunity 
and  the  responsibility  emphasized  by  the  auspicious- 
ness  of  the  occasion.  If  ever  a  speaker  was  heard  with 
intensity  it  was  on  this  occasion;  if  ever  the  words  of 
one  were  weighed  and  measured  as  they  fell  from  his 
lips,  it  was  when  Booker  T.  Washington  delivered  his 
opening  address  at  the  Cotton  States  and  International 
Exposition,  at  Atlanta,  Georgia,  on  September  18, 
1895.  In  every  respect  it  was  a  representative  audi 
ence  to  which  he  spoke,  made  up  of  every  possible 
phase  of  society  and  of  humanity.  The  statesman 
was  there  with  problems  present  and  to  come  before 
him;  the  publicist,  with  the  current  of  affairs  inter 
rupted  here  and  there  by  certain  obstructions  that 
seemed  to  defy  removal;  the  philosopher  with  his 
vision  perplexed  by  a  new  order  injected  politically 
and  sociologically  into  a  once  serene  situation;  the 
professor  with  his  instructions  disturbed  by  conditions 
which  induced  caution  while  directing  the  thoughts  of 
the  young;  the  politician  with  his  flexible  manner  and 
elastic  tongue  equally  adjusted  to  all  occasions  and 
emergencies;  the  gospel  minister  whose  sacred  func 
tion  required  that  if  he  was  to  be  as  his  Master,  he 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  ADDRESS  205 

must  be  no  respecter  of  persons ;  the  editor,  who  while 
he  must  lead,  must  not  unduly  offend;  the  man  of 
business,  who,  while  his  thoughts  were  largely  capi 
talistic,  was  widely  interested  in  the  currents  and  cross 
currents  of  public  sentiment;  the  official  with  his  oath 
binding  him  to  an  exactness  of  duty  that  placed  him 
beyond  discrimination  respecting  anyone  in  the  ad 
ministration  of  his  functions;  the  man  from  the  North 
and  the  man  from  the  South  with  a  concrete  spectacle 
of  their  recent  contention  directly  before  them,  and,  in 
the  aftermath  of  the  struggle,  pointing  out  the  way  of 
final  deliverance;  the  refined  woman  with  her  delicate 
sensitiveness  of  thought  and  deftness  of  sentiment,  and 
last  of  all,  both  races  with  their  hostility  and  misun 
derstanding  hitherto  in  chaos,  but  now  realizing  how 
easy  it  is  to  adjust  all  causes  on  the  basis  of 
equity. 

These  were  the  components  of  the  audience  gath 
ered  on  that  occasion  to  listen  to  the  utterances  of  a 
late  slave  who  was  showing  the  only  way  out  of  the 
difficulty  which  a  mighty  revolution  had  produced. 
There  was  no  gainsaying  the  soundness  of  his  homely 
philosophy  the  principles  of  which  had  been  obscured 
by  the  passions  of  the  hour.  He  was  simply  recalling 
just  those  things  without  which  there  was  no  possible 
deliverance  from  the  entanglements  of  the  time. 

The  quiet  manner  of  the  speaker  after  the  address, 
his  placid  urbanity  and  general  deportment  lent  to  the 
occasion  much  additional  strength.  There  was  not  the 
slightest  show  of  pomposity,  nor  the  strut  of  triumph 
in  his  air,  but  rather  the  quiet  bearing  of  a  man  who 


206    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

seemed  conscious  of  the  fact  that  he  had  succeeded  in 
a  serious  duty  under  serious  difficulty.  No  place  was 
found  for  the  insertion  of  a  single  syllable  of  adverse 
criticism.  Attention  had  been  keen  throughout,  and 
from  the  heated  furnace  of  a  difficult  situation  he  had 
come  forth  without  even  the  smell  of  suspicion  or  of 
objection,  but  rather  with  the  highest  praise  for  a 
service  well  done. 

The  address  was  equally  commended  for  its  exalted 
sentiment,  its  philosophical  thought,  its  calm  delivery, 
its  pure  diction,  and  its  admirable  spirit.  It  was  caught 
up  by  the  press  of  the  country  and  voiced  throughout 
its  borders.  Journals  North  and  journals  South  vied 
with  each  other  in  giving  it  praise.  The  Atlanta  Con 
stitution  bowed  to  its  saneness  and  wisdom  by  saying, 
"  It  is  no  disparagement  to  the  others  to  say  that,  all 
things  considered,  Booker  T.  Washington's  address 
was  the  hit  of  the  day."  In  telegraphing  to  a  metro 
politan  journal,  Hon.  Clark  How  ell  said  among  other 
things,  "  I  do  not  exaggerate  when  I  say  that  Pro 
fessor  Booker  T.  Washington's  address  yesterday  was 
one  of  the  most  notable  speeches,  both  as  to  character 
and  as  to  warmth  of  reception,  ever  delivered  to  a 
Southern  audience.  The  address  was  a  revelation. 
The  whole  speech  is  a  platform  upon  which  blacks 
and  whites  can  stand  with  full  justice  to  each  other." 
Editorially  the  Boston  Transcript  said,  "  The  speech 
of  Booker  T.  Washington  at  the  Atlanta  Exposition 
this  week  seems  to  have  dwarfed  all  the  other  pro 
ceedings  and  the  Exposition  itself.  The  sensation  that 
it  has  caused  in  the  press  has  never  been  equaled." 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  ADDRESS  207 

Throughout  the  country  this  was  the  dominant  tone 
of  the  press.  Its  notes  continued  to  linger  for  weeks 
and  seemed  to  die  out  with  reluctant  subsidence.  It 
became  the  topic  of  many  circles,  a  subject  of  favor 
able  comment  on  the  part  of  the  public.  As  a  note  of 
timely  sentiment  and  as  a  classic  it  passed  into  the 
realm  of  the  world's  famous  orations.  The  praise 
evoked  by  the  address  would  have  upset  an  ordinary 
man,  but  the  next  day  Washington  might  have  been 
seen  in  his  ordinary  treadmill  at  Tuskegee  going  about 
his  work  as  though  nothing  unusual  had  occurred. 
Not  only  did  congratulations  pour  in  from  every  quar 
ter,  but  enticing  offers  reached  the  man  in  his  com 
parative  retreat  on  his  farm  outside  the  little  town  of 
Tuskegee.  Magazines  offered  tempting  inducements 
to  him  to  write  for  their  pages,  bureaus  and  lyceums 
urged  him  to  accept  proposals  to  go  on  the  platform, 
one  going  so  far  as  to  offer  him  $50,000  for  his  serv 
ices,  and  still  another  making  the  offer  of  $200  a  night 
and  all  expenses  paid.  He  was  a  poor  man,  laboring 
hard  in  a  hard  sphere,  and  these  blandishments  were 
glittering  prizes  to  be  dangled  before  him  in  a  su 
preme  moment  like  this.  He  stood  on  the  step  of  fame 
and  fortune.  To  the  majority  of  men  the  temptations 
offered  would  have  been  far  too  great  for  their  in 
tegrity. 

But  what  did  Booker  Washington  say  and  do? 
With  quiet  courtesy  he  duly  thanked  each  for  the 
proffers  made,  and  modestly  replied  that  his  chosen 
life-work  was  for  his  struggling  race  at  one  of  the 
great  central  stations  of  race  stimulation  and  eleva- 


208  LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

tion.  His  simple  declination  embodies  words  worthy 
of  immortality.  The  value  to  the  world  of  his  conduct 
on  that  occasion  is  above  that  of  rubies.  His  words 
deserve  a  place  alongside  those  of  General  Robert  E. 
Lee,  who,  when  offered  the  presidency  of  a  metropoli 
tan  insurance  company  at  a  salary  of  $50,000,  blandly 
replied  in  his  poverty  that  he  knew  nothing  of  insur 
ance  business;  and  when,  with  commercial  frankness, 
he  was  told  that  his  skill  was  not  so  much  desired  as 
his  name,  and  that  he  need  do  nothing,  he  declined,  put 
aside  the  tempting  offer,  and  accepted  the  presidency 
of  a  small  and  struggling  college,  giving  expression  to 
his  dominant  sentiment  in  this  memorable  passage, 
"  I  have  a  self-imposed  task  which  I  must  accomplish. 
I  have  led  the  young  men  of  the  South  in  battle,  and 
have  seen  many  of  them  fall  under  my  standard.  I 
shall  devote  my  life  now  to  training  young  men  to  their 
duty  in  life."  The  two  instances  are  almost  parallel  in 
the  spirit  of  nobleness  and  of  self-abnegation.  General 
Lee  had  known  wealth,  and  chose  poverty  from  a  high 
sense  of  duty;  Professor  Washington  had  never 
known  what  it  was  to  have  wealth,  but  he  would  not 
hazard  the  opportunity  of  doing  a  work  for  millions 
who  needed  aid,  though  fortune  was  offered  to  desist 
from  such  work  as  he  was  doing.  He,  too,  thought  of 
the  coming  youth  of  a  race.  That  youth  needed  assist 
ance  in  climbing  the  toilsome  ascent  to  worth.  He 
would,  therefore,  turn  aside  from  the  dazzling  offers 
made,  to  serve  others  of  the  generation  present  and 
to  come. 

In  response  to  a  note  from  Professor  Washington, 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  ADDRESS  209 

President  Cleveland,  to  whom  was  sent  a  copy  of  the 
Atlanta  address,  wrote  as  follows: 

GRAY  GABLES,  BUZZARD'S  BAY,  MASS., 

October  6,  1895. 
BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON,  ESQ., 

MY  DEAR  SIR: — I  thank  you  for  sending  me  a  copy 
of  your  address  delivered  at  the  Atlanta  Exposition.  I 
thank  you  with  much  enthusiasm  for  making  the  ad 
dress.  I  have  read  it  with  intense  interest,  and  I  think 
the  Exposition  would  be  fully  justified  if  it  did  not  do 
more  than  to  furnish  the  opportunity  for  its  delivery. 
Your  words  cannot  fail  to  delight  and  encourage  all 
who  wish  well  for  your  race ;  and  if  our  colored  fellow- 
citizens  do  not  from  your  utterances  gather  new  hope 
and  form  new  determinations  to  gain  every  valuable 
advantage  offered  them  by  their  citizenship,  it  will  be 
strange  indeed. 

Yours  very  truly, 

GROVER  CLEVELAND. 

This  was  written  by  Mr.  Cleveland  with  his  own  hand 
on  dainty  note  paper. 

Up  to  that  time  Principal  Washington  had  never 
seen  Mr.  Cleveland,  but  later  he  met  him  at  the  At 
lanta  Exposition  on  the  occasion  of  the  President's 
visit.  Mr.  Cleveland  took  occasion  to  renew  his  ex 
pression  of  esteem  for  Mr.  Washington  and  for  the 
work  that  he  was  doing,  at  the  same  time  expressing 
much  interest  in  the  colored  race  by  visiting  the 
colored  building,  and  spending  considerable  time  in 
inspecting  the  exhibit  there  made  by  the  colored  peo 
ple.  With  the  genuine  democratic  simplicity  for  which 
Mr.  Cleveland  was  noted,  he  would  shake  hands  with 
the  humblest  Negro,  and  make  kindly  reply  to  the 


210    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

grotesque,  simple,  but  sincere  politeness  with  which 
he  was  greeted.  With  the  utmost  readiness  and  af- 
fableness  he  would  write  his  autograph  for  them  on 
scraps  of  paper  or  old  envelopes,  or  in  some  old  book, 
that  they  might  retain  it  as  a  keepsake. 

The  reputation  gained  by  Washington  in  conse 
quence  of  his  address  was  evidenced  from  many 
prominent  quarters.  He  received  the  following  letter 
from  Dr.  Daniel  Coit  Gilman,  President  of  Johns 
Hopkins  University,  who  had  been  made  chairman  of 
the  judges  of  award  at  the  Atlanta  Exposition : 

JOHNS  HOPKINS  UNIVERSITY,  BALTIMORE, 

President's  Office,  September  30,  1895. 
DEAR  MR.  WASHINGTON  : — Would  it  be  agreeable  to 
you  to  be  one  of  the  Judges  of  Award  in  the  Department 
of  Education  at  Atlanta?  If  so,  I  shall  be  glad  to  place 
your  name  upon  the  list.  A  line  by  telegraph  will  be 
welcomed. 

Yours  very  truly, 

D.  C.  OILMAN. 

The  thrill  produced  by  the  address  subsided  into  a 
quiet  calm,  which  was  broken  in  one  or  two  instances 
by  a  complaint  on  the  part  of  some  of  the  would-be 
leaders  of  Washington's  own  people.  Seemingly  from 
the  sting  of  envy  there  came  the  remarkable  state 
ment  that  after  all  there  was  but  little  in  the  speech 
for  the  good  of  the  colored  race.  Detached  passages 
were  severed  from  their  logical  connection  and  pa 
raded  in  vindication  of  the  assertion  of  the  jealous, 
and  with  an  evident  attempt  to  disparage  the  merit  of 
the  famous  address.  A  jealous  man  always  finds 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  ADDRESS  211 

more  than  he  looks  for.  How  there  could  have  been 
tortured  from  that  address  that  which  certain  persons 
claimed  to  find,  is  amazing.  The  studied  distortion 
was  made  the  basis  of  an  accusation  that  Washington 
was  shrewdly  pandering  to  white  sentiment  in  total 
disregard  of  the  good  of  the  colored  race.  The  ac 
cusation  continued,  but  the  colored  race  itself  declined 
to  be  thus  led  into  lack  of  appreciation;  and  be  il| 
said  to  their  credit  that  they  continued  to  cling  to 
Washington  to  the  end  as  their  leader,  and  turned  a 
deaf  ear  to  the  few  whose  envy  did  not  cease  to  find 
vent  in  every  way  possible  through  the  years  of  the 
future.  The  Southern  Negro  knows  the  SouthernN 
white  man,  and  none  knows  the  Negro  better  than  j y  v 
the  white  man  of  the  South.  Each  equally  recognizes  J 
the  wrong  done  the  Negro,  often  clandestinely,  under 
the  cover  of  night,  the  chief  shield  of  bad  men  always; 
and  while  the  rights  of  the  Negro  have  not  always  been 
respected,  it  is  not  due  to  the  best  and  the  most 
thoughtful  whites  of  the  South.  But  such,  in  the 
colored  race,  are  yet  in  the  minority.  Among  the 
abuses  of  democratic  free  speech  none  is  more  con 
spicuous  than  that  of  the  utterances  of  the  cheap  clat- 
terer  and  designing  demagogue  on  the  political  stump, 
whose  ravenous  appetite  feeds  with  avidity  on  the 
wrongs  of  the  oppressed  in  summoning  to  his  support 
the  ruffianism  and  the  thoughtlessness  of  different 
localities.  The  attempt  to  disparage  the  address  of 
Dr.  Washington  signally  failed,  for  it  became  a  land 
mark  in  Southern  history. 

That  Booker  Washington  would  do  just  that  which 


212    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

an  exceptional  few  of  his  own  race  insisted  he  should 
have  done  on  the  occasion  of  his  address  at  Atlanta, 
was  the  expectation  of  some  whites  who  had  gone  to 
the  opening  exercises  to  witness  the  folly.  To  the 
disappointment  of  both,  however,  in  the  ripeness  of 
his  wisdom,  he  diverted  his  deliverance  into  the  chan 
nel  unexpected.  He  built  his  speech  on  the  wide  basis 
of  humanitarianism  which  applied  to  both  races  in 
practical  conditions,  and  not  only  put  it  beyond  the 
pale  of  objection,  but  struck  telling  blows  for  his  own 
people.  Thenceforward  not  Washington  alone  but 
numerous  other  men  of  his  race  were  gladly  heard, 
and  not  without  effect. 

Washington  had  reached  the  point  where  he  did  not 
have  to  seek  an  opportunity  to  speak  to  the  whites  of 
the  South.  He  was  in  actual  demand.  He  was  as 
gladly  heard  in  one  region  of  the  country  as  in  the 
other.  As  never  before  he  became  the  mouthpiece 
of  his  people,  and  anything  he  said  claimed  attention. 
His  contributions  to  the  press  were  gladly  published, 
he  was  sought  out  for  interviews,  and  was  heeded, 
since  it  came  to  be  known  that  there  was  a  force  be 
hind  his  words.  Oftener  than  he  himself  knew  he 
controlled  public  thought  by  a  single  expression.  He 
was  quoted  here  and  there  with  a  weight  of  authority 
that  often  preponderated  in  favor  of  his  people.  He 
was  taken  into  the  counsel  of  white  men  in  the  con 
sideration  of  questions  in  which  both  races  were  inter 
ested.  In  some  instances,  his  influence  extended  to  the 
highest  councils  of  the  nation,  and  more  than  once  he 
became  a  decisive  factor  in  emergencies,  That  he 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  ADDRESS  213 

should  have  thus  won  is  not  surprising,  since  he  was 
seen  to  be  an  extraordinary  man.  Color  was  not 
taken  into  account,  when  men  came  to  confer  with 
him.  Indeed,  as  one  of  the  direct  results  of  his  ad 
dress,  he  could  thereafter  give  more  candid  expression 
of  sentiment  concerning  his  people  than  before.  He 
was  respected  because  of  his  sincere  force  and  influ 
ence,  and  he  .was  not  menaced  by  a  lurking  suspicion 
that  what  he  might  say  had  within  it  a  sinister  pur 
pose. 

(  In  his  estimate  of  the  effect  of  an  address  to  a  repre-\ 
sentative  white  audience  in  the  South,  he  found  himself 
correct.     He  saw  the  tension  slackening,  the  barriers  / 
heretofore  existing  now  giving  away.     It  was  cheer<- 
ing  to  see  how  gratified  were  the  best  whites  with  the 
coming  change,  and  to  note  that  where  alienation  had 
been  there  was  now  often  to  be  seen  the  spirit  of  co 
operation  between  members  of  the  two  races.    On  the 
part  of  both,  expressions  of  unkindness  had  given   • 
place  to  those  of  friendship. 

It  was  not,  of  course,  that  Washington  acquiesced 
in  all  that  was  done  to  his  people,  for  violence  was 
still  abroad,  and  much  there  was  yet  to  do;  but  if  he 
could  not  effect  the  desired  end  in  a  spirit  of  concilia 
tion,  and  if  he  could  not  fully  arrest  the  wrongs  done, 
it  was  certain  that  these  ends  could  not  be  attained  by 
clamor  or  noisy  abuse.  With  the  calmness  of  a  sage 
he  studied  the  situation  throughout,  and  when  the 
opportune  time  came,  he  spoke  in  no  uncertain  way, 
and  always  with  effect. 
/  What,  then,  was  the  general  gain  of  the  notable 


LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

address  delivered  at  Atlanta?  For  one  thing,  it  won 
for  the  colored  race  a  position  in  public  esteem  never 

r before  even  approximated.  It  afforded  an  insight 
into  the  forces  of  Negro  capability  which  had  all  along 
been  obscured  by  an  unpardonable  and  unreasonable 
prejudice.  It  was  the  beginning  of  obtaining  for  the 
!Negro  a  place  in  American  life.  Whatever  the  merits 
of  the  race,  so  long  as  they  were  obscured  they  must 
remain  unknown.  It  was  Booker  T.  Washington  who 
took  the  veil  off  the  face  of  misconception,  ignorance, 
and  prejudice.  To  be  sure  he  did  not  accomplish 
everything  for  the  race,  but  that  which  he  alone  did 
was  necessary  to  be  done  before  other  things  could 
be  made  possible. 

The  address  gave  him  national  prominence,  Negro 
as  he  was,  erstwhile  slave  as  he  was,  and  while  this 
may  be  accounted  by  some  as  small,  it  was  vast  gain 
for  the  American  Negro.  It  would  indeed  have  been 
phenomenal  had  he  achieved  all  that  was  to  be  for  the 
colored  people  by  a  single  act.  That  he  did  not,  nor 
could  it  have  been  done  by  any,  but  he  removed  the 
stone  from  the  mouth  of  the  tomb,  and  made  possible 
the  emergence  of  his  race  into  a  new  life.  The  event 
passed  and  was  not  even  known  to  many  of  a  later 
generation,  but  its  influence  still  abides.  The  strides 
made  by  his  people  since  that  time  run  back  in  logical 
connection  to  Washington's  address  at  Atlanta.  ) 


XVI 
HONOR  FOLLOWS  WORTH 

AMONG  the  direct  results  of  the  Atlanta  address 
was  that  of  turning  toward  Mr.  Washington 
the  attention  of  leading  educators,   many  of 
whom  had  heard  of  him  only  in  a  casual  way,  as  a 
colored  man  who  had  founded  a  school  for  his  race 

4 

in  the  lower  South.  The  address  proved  him  to  be 
a  man  of  extraordinary  parts,  and  inquiry  was 
awakened  which  led  to  closer  and  clearer  investiga 
tion  of  the  man  and  his  work. 

The  recognition  accorded  him  by  a  great  institution 
of  learning  during  the  summer  following  the  Atlanta 
address  was  so  distinctive,  as  to  deserve  here  space  for 
an  account  of  it  in  detail.  It  was  not  presumed  by 
any,  and  least  of  all  by  Professor  Washington  him 
self,  that  the  address  would  lead  to  academic  honors 
from  the  oldest  and  most  eminent  institution  of  learn 
ing  in  the  American  states.  Washington's  sole  am 
bition  had  been  to  make  a  sane  deliverance  before  a 
representative  Southern  audience,  in  order  that  the 
proper  view  of  the  race  question  might  be  presented 
from  the  side  of  the  colored  people.  Up  to  this  time 
only  one  side  of  the  question  had  been  heard,  and 
public  opinion  was  warped  in  a  direction  very  detri 
mental  to  his  race. 

215 


216    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

His  expectations  having  been  fully  realized  by  the 
nature  of  the  reception  given  his  speech,  he  was  nerved 
by  a  stronger  purpose  to  persevere  as  never  before. 
But  appreciation  from  an  unexpected  source  was  re 
vealed  in  the  following  letter: 

HARVARD  UNIVERSITY,  CAMBRIDGE,  May  28,  1896. 
PRESIDENT  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON, 

MY  DEAR  SIR: — Harvard  University  desires  to  confer 
on  you  at  the  approaching  Commencement  an  honorary 
degree,  but  it  is  our  custom  to  confer  degrees  only  on 
gentlemen  who  are  present.  Our  Commencement  occurs 
this  year  on  June  24,  and  your  presence  would  be  de 
sirable  from  about  noon  till  about  five  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.  Would  it  be  possible  for  you  to  be  in  Cam 
bridge  on  that  day? 

Believe  me  with  great  regard, 

Very  truly  yours, 

CHARLES  W.  ELIOT. 

.  i 

This  was  the  greatest  surprise  of  his  life.  He 
prized  the  recognition  of  kindness  and  courtesy,  but 
the  thought  of  recognition  by  a  great  institution  of 
learning  was  as  remote  from  his  mind  as  possible. 
As  he  held  in  his  hand  the  letter  from  the  president 
of  America's  most  renowned,  as  well  as  her  oldest, 
institution  of  learning,  his  life  rose  before  him.^  The 
memories  of  his  slave  days,  his  work  among  the  lime 
kilns  and  in  the  coal  mines,  his  hunger  and  lack  of 
clothing,  his  struggles  to  obtain  an  education,  his  night 
under  the  plank  sidewalk  in  Richmond,  his  privations 
at  Hampton,  his  first  efforts  at  Tuskegee,  and  the 
suffering  of  heart  which  he  had  undergone,  and  now 
to  be  recognized  by  Harvard  University  as  one  worthy 


HONOR  FOLLOWS  WORTH  217 

of  an  academic  degree,  was  more  than  he  had  ever 
dared  to  dream.  As  he  held  the  letter  and  reread  it, 
he  wept  as  he  sat  alone  on  nis  veranda  at  Tuskegee. 
He  had  never  aspired  to  fame,  and  all  that  had  come 
to  him  he  had  sought  to  turn  toward  the  accomplish 
ment  of  his  life's  aim — that  of  the  good  of  his  people. 
If  this  could  conduce  to  that  end,  he  would  accept  it. 
It  was  another  indication  that  things  were  growing 
better.  Not  only  were  passions  cooling,  but  it  was 
actually  coming  to  pass  in  democratic  America  that 
the  worthy  were  honored  in  proportion  to  the  esti 
mate  placed  on  each,  and  here  was  a  concrete  illustra 
tion  of  the  fact.  To  him  the  incident  was  more  not 
able  because  of  the  Negro  race  in  general,  than  because 
of  any  personal  distinction  shown  to  him.  He  saw  in 
it  a  prophecy  of  the  coming  recognition  of  the  merit 
of  his  race. 

To  Washington  this  was  the  consuming  idea  of 
life.  He  had  always  felt  that  in  the  long  run  humanity 
was  fair.  The  Anglo-Saxon  might  be  stern  and  arro 
gant,  proud  of  his  race  and  of  his  station  in  the  world, 
but  after  all,  he  was  usually  not  only  fair,  but  gener 
ous.  He  had  a  heart  and  judgment  that  needed  only 
to  be  ^convinced,  and  other  conditions  would  follow. 
It  was  the  mistaken  colored  man,  the  unruly,  the  law 
less,  that  brought  the  race  into  most  of  its  trouble. 
Cruelty  was  sometimes  meted  out  by  unworthy  whites, 
but  they  were  not  representatives  of  the  highest  type. 
And  even  these  were  actuated  frequently  by  that  done 
by  unworthy  Negroes  who  were  taken  as  representa 
tives  of  the  colored  people.  While  he  deplored  con- 


218    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

ditions  in  the  South  which  made  this  possible,  he  could 
not  recall  a  single  instance  where  a  really  worthy 
colored  person  was  not  protected  by  white  friends 
when  such  were  needed.  The  humblest  washer 
woman,  if  she  were  worthy,  could  gain  the  confidence 
of  those  who  would  become  her  protectors.  He  in 
sisted  that  this  was  the  policy  to  be  pursued  by  the 
colored  people  of  the  South,  and  he  so  taught  to  the 
end. 

On  the  date  named  in  the  letter  of  President  Eliot, 
June  24,  Washington  was  in  Cambridge;  he  met  the 
president  of  the  university,  the  board  of  overseers  of 
the  institution,  and  other  distinguished  attendants  on 
the  occasion,  and,  with  others  who  were  to  be  the 
recipients  of  honors,  was  escorted  to  the  hall  where  the 
exercises  were  to  be  held.  Among  those  invited  to 
the  Commencement  for  the  purpose  of  having  honors 
bestowed  on  them  were  distinguished  men  like  Gen 
eral  Nelson  A.  Miles,  Alexander  Graham  Bell,  of  tele 
phone  fame,  Bishop  John  Heyl  Vincent,  the  founder 
and  chancellor  of  Chautauqua,  and  Rev.  Minot  J. 
Savage. 

The  conferring  of  degrees  is  the  most  interesting 
occasion  in  connection  with  Commencement  exercises 
at  Harvard.  Those  to  be  honored  are  not  known  till 
their  names  are  announced.  As  each  distinction  is 
bestowed,  it  is  greeted  by  the  applause  of  the  students 
and  the  brilliant  audience,  in  proportion  to  the  popu 
larity  of  the  recipient.  When  the  name  of  Booker 
Taliaferro  Washington  was  called  the  applause  was 
tremendous  throughout  the  great  hall.  In  a  few  words 


HONOR  FOLLOWS  WORTH  219 

of  vigorous  diction  Professor  Eliot  conferred  on  him 
the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts. 

After  the  interesting  exercises  had  closed,  the  re 
cipients  of  honors,  together  with  a  few  other  guests, 
were  invited  to  lunch  at  the  home  of  the  president  of 
the  university.  Among  the  speakers  here  were  Presi 
dent  Eliot.  Governor  Wolcott,  General  Miles,  Sena 
tor  Cabot  Lodge,  Dr.  Minot  J.  Savage,  and  Principal 
Booker  T.  Washington.  When  called  on,  Dr.  Wash 
ington  arose  and  said: 

"  It  would  in  some  measure  relieve  my  embarrass 
ment  if  I  could  even  in  a  slight  degree  feel  myself 
worthy  of  the  great  honor  which  you  do  me  to-day. 
Why  you  have  called  me  from  the  Black  Belt  of  the 
South,  from  among  my  humble  people,  to  share  in  the 
honors  of  this  occasion,  is  not  for  me  to  explain;  and 
yet  it  may  not  be  inappropriate  for  me  to  suggest  that 
it  seems  to  me  that  one  of  the  most  vital  questions  that 
touch  our  American  life  is  how  to  bring  the  strong, 
wealthy,  and  learned  into  helpful  touch  with  the  poorest, 
most  ignorant,  and  humblest,  and  at  the  same  time  make 
one  appreciate  the  vitalizing,  strengthening  influence  of 
the  other.  How  shall  we  make  the  mansions  on  yon 
Beacon  Street  feel  and  see  the  need  of  the  spirits  of  the 
lowliest  cabin  in  Alabama  cotton-fields  or  Louisiana 
sugar  bottoms?  This  problem  Harvard  University  is 
solving,  not  by  bringing  itself  down,  but  by  bringing  the 
masses  up. 

"  If  my  life  in  the  past  has  meant  anything  in  the 
lifting  up  of  my  people  and  the  bringing  about  better 
relations  between  your  race  and  mine,  I  assure  you 
that  from  this  day  it  will  mean  doubly  more.  In  the 
economy  of  God  there  is  but  one  standard  by  which  an 
individual  can  succeed — there  is  but  one  for  a  race.  The 
country  demands  that  every  race  shall  measure  itself  by 
the  American  standard.  By  it  a  race  must  rise  or  fall, 


220    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

succeed  or  fail,  aSd  in  the  last  analysis  mere  sentiment 
counts  for  little.  5  During  the  next  half-century  and 
more,  my  race  mulTcontinue  passing  through  the  severe 
American  crucible.  We  are  to  be  tested  in  our  patience, 
our  forbearance,  our  perseverance,  our  power  to  endure 
wrong,  to  withstand  temptations,  to  economize,  to  acquire 
and  use  skill ;  in  our  ability  to  compete,  to  succeed  in 
commerce,  to  disregard  the  superficial  for  the  real,  the 
appearance  for  the  substance,  to  be  great  and  yet  small, 
learned  and  yet  simple,  high  and  yet  the  servant  of  all."  \ 

This  is  the  substance  of  what  he  said  on  that  not 
able  occasion,  the  more  notable  because  it  was  the  first 
instance  in  which  a  New  England  university  had  ever 
conferred  an  honorary  degree  on  a  Negro.  The  sober-  - 
ness  and  the  wisdom  of  Washington's  address  at  the 
luncheon  struck  the  country  with  great  force.  Here 
was  the  type  of  the  possible  Negro  of  the  future. 
Here  was  one  wrho  had  emerged  from  the  lowliest 
station,  who  was  recognized  by  the  leading  university 
of  the  continent  as  one  worthy  of  its  honors.  Wash 
ington  was  not  an  anachronism,  he  was  an  index.  He 
had  been  raised  up  to  show  the  possibilities  of  the  race. 
His  was  an  appeal  for  consideration  soberly  and  wisely 
made.  He  was  not  apologizing  for  being  a  colored 
man,  he  was  soliciting  from  the  source  of  domination 
the  consideration  which  would  yield  to  the  black  man 
a  chance.  While  he  had  made  his  own  chance  by  dint 
of  merit,  the  conditions  of  his  people  were  such  that 
this  could  not  be  true  of  everyone,  except  by  the  high 
having  respect  unto  the  humble.  That  which  he  ex 
hibited  was  an  earnest  of  that  which  the  world  might 
expect  of  multitudes  of  others. 


HONOR  FOLLOWS  WORTH  221 

The  bestowment  of  this  title  on  Washington  was  so 
exceptional  and  unique  that  it  created  a  sensation.  A 
correspondent  of  a  cosmopolitan  journal  writing  in 
description  of  the  occasion  said :  "  When  the  name  of 
Booker  T.  Washington  was  called,  and  he  arose  to 
acknowledge  and  accept,  there  was  such  an  outburst 
of  applause  as  greeted  no  other  name  except  that  of 
the  popular  soldier  patriot,  General  Miles.  The  ap 
plause  was  not  studied  and  stiff,  sympathetic  and  con 
doling;  it  was  enthusiasm  and  admiration.  Every 
part  of  the  audience  from  pit  to  gallery  joined  in,  and 
a  glow  covered  the  cheeks  of  those  around  me,  proving 
sincere  appreciation  of  the  rising  struggle  of  an  ex- 
slave  and  the  work  he  has  accomplished  for  his 
race." 

In  a  similar  strain  a  Boston  daily  wrote  editorially : 
"  In  conferring  the  honorary  degree  of  Master  of 
Arts  upon  the  Principal  of  Tuskegee  Institute,  Har 
vard  University  has  honored  itself  as  well  as  the  object 
of  this  distinction.  The  work  which  Professor  Booker 
T.  Washington  has  accomplished  for  the  education, 
good  citizenship,  and  popular  enlightenment  in  his 
chosen  field  of  labor  in  the  South  entitles  him  to  rank 
with  our  national  benefactors.  The  university  which 
can  claim  him  on  its  list  of  sons  whether  in  regular 
course,  or  honoris  causa,  may  be  proud.  Mr.  Wash 
ington  is  the  first  of  his  race  to  receive  an  honorary 
degree  from  a  New  England  university.  This,  in 
itself,  is  a  distinction.  But  the  degree  was  not  con 
ferred  because  Mr.  Washington  is  a  colored  man,  or 
because  he  was  born  in  slavery,  but  because  he  has 


222    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

shown,  by  his  work  for  the  elevation  of  the  people  of 
the  Black  Belt  of  the  South,  a  genius  and  a  broad 
humanity  which  count  for  greatness  in  any  man, 
whether  his  skin  be  white  or  black." 

Still  another  Boston  daily  said :  "  It  is  Harvard 
which,  first  among  New  England  colleges,  confers  an 
honorary  degree  upon  a  black  man.  No  one  who  has 
followed  Tuskegee  and  its  work  can  fail  to  admire  the 
courage,  persistence,  and  splendid  common  sense  of 
Booker  T.  Washington.  Well  may  Harvard  honor 
the  ex-slave,  the  value  of  whose  services,  alike  to  his 
race  and  country,  only  the  future  can  estimate." 

The  Boston  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Times 
wrote  to  that  journal  thus :  "  All  the  speeches  were 
enthusiastically  received,  but  the  colored  man  carried 
off  the  oratorical  honors,  and  the  applause  which  broke 
out  when  he  had  finished  was  vociferous  and  long- 
continued." 

These  are  only  samples  of  the  comments  of  the 
press  throughout  the  country.  The  proper  recognition 
of  himself  personally,  and  of  his  race  prospectively, 
is  shown  in  these  comments.  There  is  suggested 
here  that  with  proper  encouragement  and  patience,  in 
stead  of  restlessness  and  fault-finding,  there  are  pos 
sibilities  in  the  Negro  race  which  to  help  will  be  for 
the  common  weal,  while  to  hinder  will  inevitably  have 
the  effect  of  public  detriment. 

It  was  in  December,  1897,  that  President  McKinley 
paid  a  visit  to  the  South  to  attend,  at  Atlanta,  Georgia, 
the  Peace  Jubilee,  in  commemoration  of  the  success 
ful  issue  of  the  conflict  between  America  and  Spain. 


HONOR  FOLLOWS  WORTH  223 

On  learning  of  his  proposed  visit,  Dr.  Washington 
went  to  the  national  capital,  in  November,  to  invite 
the  president  to  visit  his  school.  He  acknowledged 
that  it  was  among  the  ambitions  of  his  life  to  build 
up  such  an  institution  as  would  be  worthy  of  a  visit 
from  the  President  of  the  United  States.  The  inter 
view  with  the  President  did  not  result  in  a  promise 
to  visit  the  school,  but  he  showed  great  interest  in  the 
enterprise,  and  agreed  to  consider  the  matter  of  ,a 
visit.  Soon  after,  there  were  several  sporadic  out* 
breaks  of  race  violence  in  the  South,  the  result  of 
tolerated  ruffianism  too  often  regarded  with  indiffer 
ence  when  it  should  have  prompt  official  and  just 
attention — and  these  tended  to  impair  the  prospect  of  I 
the  President's  visit  to  the  school.  / 

However,  Dr.  Washington  went  again  to  visit  the 
President  at  the  White  House  in  regard  to  the  visit  to 
Tuskegee,  but  again  he  declined  to  commit  himself, 
wishing  to  wait  until  he  should  reach  Atlanta  to  de 
cide.  When  he  came  to  Atlanta,  Washington  again 
urged  him  to  extend  his  visit  to  Tuskegee,  insisting 
that  nothing  would  so  aid  him  in  his  racial  work  as  an 
indorsement  like  that  from  the  chief  executive  of  the 
nation.  The  President  wished  to  go,  but  was  doubtful 
of  the  wisdom  of  the  step,  not  being  sure  how  it  might 
impress  the  people  of  the  South.  While  he  was  dis 
cussing  the  matter  with  Washington,  a  prominent 
gentleman  of  the  South,  an  original  slave-holder,  came 
in,  and  the  President  referred  the  matter  to  him  for 
advice.  The  gentleman  said  that  a  visit  to  the  South 
would  not  be  complete  without  seeing  the  wonderful 


T 

I 


224    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

school  at  Tuskegee,  and  urged  the  President,  by  all 
means,  to  go.  This  was  re-enforced  by  the  persua 
sion  of  Dr.  J.  L.  M.  Curry,  who  happened  also  to  be 
present.  The  result  was  the  promise  of  Mr.  McKinley 
to  go  to  Tuskegee  on  December  i6th. 

With  this  assurance  Washington  hurried  back  to 
Tuskegee,  made  the  fact  known,  and  soon  the  town 
as  agog  over  the  promised  visit.  The  white  popula- 
ion  became  as  much  interested  as  the  blacks.  Both 
men  and  women  of  the  whites  began  the  formation 
of  committees  for  the  decoration  of  the  town,  and  all 
placed  themselves  at  the  service  of  Dr.  Washington 
to  do  as  he  might  wish  in  preparing  for  the  distin 
guished  event.  Bunting  was  provided  in  profusion, 
arches  were  erected,  flags  were  got  in  readiness,  and 
all  the  ornamentation  necessary  was  provided,  the 
races  vying  with  each  other,  under  the  general  direc 
tion  of  Dr.  Washington. 

In  order  to  afford  a  practical  display  of  the  school 
and  its  work  to  the  presidential  party  on  its  arrival 
it  was  arranged  to  have  the  great  body  of  colored 
students  pass  in  array  before  the  President.  Each 
was  significantly  to  carry  a  stalk  of  sugar-cane,  borne 
as  a  musket,  with  several  bolls  of  cotton  tied  to  the 
upper  end  of  each  cane.  Following  the  students  came 
the  several  departments  of  the  school  represented  by 
floats  drawn  by  horses,  mules,  or  oxen,  all  the  prop 
erty  of  the  Institute.  These  floats  not  only  represented 
the  present  work  done,  but,  in  contrast,  on  each  were 
exhibited  the  old  methods,  showing  to  the  eye  the 
advancement  of  the  colored  school  beyond  that  which 


HONOR  FOLLOWS  WORTH  225 

had  been.  For  an  hour  and  a  half  these  floats  passed 
in  review  before  the  distinguished  guests. 

The  morning  of  December  i6th  dawned  bright  and 
beautiful,  and  in  due  time  the  train  arrived  bearing  the 
presidential  party.  Besides  the  President  and  Mrs. 
McKinley  there  were  the  members  of  the  cabinet  and 
their  wives,  and  a  number  of  leading  generals  in  the 
late  war  with  Spain,  including  Wheeler  and  Shafter. 
The  legislature  of  Alabama,  in  session  at  the  time, 
adjourned,  and  came  in  a  body  to  join  in  the  festivities 
of  the  occasion.  The  little  town  of  Tuskegee  was 
thronged  as  never  before.  Vast  multitudes  filled  the 
grounds  and  streets,  and  adjacent  environs.  The  order 
throughout,  under  Washington,  was  complete.  Brass 
bands  were  in  evidence,  flags  floated,  bunting  shone, 
and  the  occasion  was  one  of  quiet  splendor. 

The  parades  being  at  last  over,  the  throngs  repaired 
to  the  new  and  spacious  chapel  that  had  just  been  com 
pleted,  and  President  McKinley,  introduced  by  Dr. 
Washington,  said  in  part : 

"  To  meet  you  under  such  pleasant  auspices  and  to 
have  the  opportunity  of  a  personal  observation  of  your 
work,  is  indeed  most  gratifying.  The  Tuskegee  Normal 
and  Industrial  Institute  is  ideal  in  its  conception,  and 
has  already  a  large  and  growing  reputation  in  the 
country,  and  is  not  unknown  abroad.  I  congratulate  all 
who  are  associated  in  this  undertaking  in  the  good  work 
which  it  is  doing  in  the  education  of  its  students  to  lead 
lives  of  honor  and  of  usefulness,  thus  exalting  the  race 
for  which  it  was  established.  Nowhere,  I  think,  could 
a  more  delightful  location  have  been  chosen  for  this 
unique  educational  experiment,  which  has  attracted  the 


226    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

attention   and  won  the  support,   even,  of  conservative 
philanthropists  in  all  sections  of  the  country. 

"  To  speak  of  Tuskegee  without  paying  special  tribute 
to  Booker  T.  Washington's  genius  and  perseverance 
would  be  impossible.  The  inception  of  this  noble  enter 
prise  was  his,  and  he  deserves  high  credit  for  it.  His 
was  the  enthusiasm  and  enterprise  which  made  its  steady 
progress  possible,  and  established  in  the  institution  its 
present  high  standard  of  accomplishment.  He  has  won 
a  worthy  reputation  as  one  of  the  great  leaders  of  his 
race,  widely  known  and  much  respected  at  home  and 
abroad  as  an  accomplished  educator,  a  great  orator,  and 
a  true  philanthropist.'* 

Addresses  were  also  delivered  by  Hon.  John  D. 
Long,  secretary  of  the  navy,  and  Hon.  Charles  Emory 
Smith,  postmaster-general  in  Mr.  McKinley's  cabinet. 
After  the  return  of  the  party  to  Washington,  the 
Principal  of  Tuskegee  Institute  received  the  following 
letter  from  the  President's  secretary: 

EXECUTIVE  MANSION,  WASHINGTON, 

December  23,  1897. 

DEAR  SIR: — By  this  mail  I  take  pleasure  in  sending 
you  engrossed  copies  of  the  souvenir  of  the  visit  of  the 
President  to  your  institution.  These  sheets  bear  the 
names  of  the  President  and  the  members  of  the  cabinet 
who  accompanied  him  on  the  trip.  Let  me  take  this 
opportunity  of  congratulating  you  most  heartily  and  sin 
cerely  upon  the  great  success  of  the  exercises  provided 
for  the  entertainment  furnished  us  under  your  auspices 
during  our  visit  to  Tuskegee.  Every  feature  of  the 
program  was  perfectly  executed  and  was  viewed,  or 
participated  in,  with  the  heartiest  satisfaction  by  every 
visitor  present.  The  unique  exhibition  which  you  gave 
of  your  pupils  engaged  in  their  industrial  vocations  was 
not  only  artistic  but  thoroughly  impressive.  The  tribute 
paid  by  the  President  and  his  cabinet  to  your  work  was 


HONOR  FOLLOWS  WORTH  227 

none  too  high,  and  forms  a  most  encouraging  augury, 
I  think,  for  the  future  prosperity  of  your  institution.  I 
cannot  close  without  assuring  you  that  the  modesty 
shown  by  yourself  in  the  exercises  was  most  favorably 
commented  on  by  all  the  members  of  our  party. 

With  best  wishes  for  the  continued  advance  of  your 
most  useful  and  patriotic  undertaking,  kind  personal  re 
gards,  and  the  compliments  of  the  season,  believe  me 
always, 

Very  sincerely  yours, 

JOHN  ADDISON  PORTER, 
Secretary  to  the  President. 

About  the  same  time  that  this  visit  of  President 
McKinley  to  Atlanta  took  place,  peace  demonstra 
tions  were  popular  throughout  the  country,  none  of 
which  exceeded  either  in  proportion  or  grandeur  the 
one  held  at  Chicago.  President  William  R.  Harper 
of  the  University  of  Chicago  was  the  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  invitations  and,  among  others,  he  in 
vited  Dr.  Washington  to  deliver  an  address.  The 
occasion  was  a  notable  one,  President  McKinley  and 
his  cabinet,  and  many  army  and  navy  officers  who  par 
ticipated  in  the  struggle,  being  present,  besides  a  num 
ber  of  foreign  ministers.  The  cosmopolitan  character 
of  the  occasion  seems  to  have  suggested  the  character 
of  the  speakers,  who  were  President  John  H.  Barrows 
of  Oberlin  College,  Rabbi  Emil  G.  Hirsh,  Rev.  T.  P. 
Hodnett,  a  Catholic  priest,  and  Booker  T.  Wash 
ington. 

The  exercises  were  held  in  the  Auditorium,  and 
the  gathering  was  an  immense  one.  President  Mc 
Kinley  was  seated  in  a  box  at  the  right  of  the  stage. 
When  Washington  spoke  all  else  seemed  to  be  forgot- 


228    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

ten.  The  Chicago  Times-Herald  gave  this  account  of 
the  effects  of  Washington's  address: 

"  He  pictured  the  Negro  choosing  slavery  rather 
than  extinction;  recalled  Chrispus  Attucks  shedding 
his  blood  at  the  beginning  of  the  American  Revolu 
tion,  that  white  Americans  might  be  free,  while  black 
Americans  remained  in  slavery;  rehearsed  the  conduct 
of  the  Negroes  with  Jackson  at  New  Orleans;  drew  a 
vivid  and  pathetic  picture  of  the  Southern  slaves  pro 
tecting  and  supporting  the  families  of  their  masters 
while  the  latter  were  fighting  to  perpetuate  black  slav 
ery;  recounted  the  bravery  of  colored  troops  at  Port 
Hudson  and  Forts  Wagner  and  Pillow,  and  praised 
the  heroism  of  the  black  regiments  that  stormed  El 
Caney  and  Santiago  to  give  freedom  to  the  enslaved 
people  of  Cuba,  forgetting,  for  the  time  being,  that 
law  and  custom  made  against  them  in  their  own 
country. 

"  In  all  these  things,  the  speaker  declared,  his  peo 
ple  had  chosen  the  better  part.  And  then  he  made  his 
eloquent  appeal  to  the  consciences  of  the  white  Amer 
icans  :  *  When  you  have  gotten  the  full  story  of  the 
heroic  conduct  of  the  Negro  in  the  Spanish-American 
War,  have  heard  it  from  the  lips  of  Northern  soldier 
and  Southern  soldier,  from  ex-abolitionists  and  ex- 
masters,  then  decide  within  yourselves  whether  a  race 
that  is  thus  willing  to  die  for  its  country  should  not  be 
given  the  highest  opportunity  to  live  for  its  country/  ' 

At  one  stage  of  his  speech,  while  the  enthusiasm 
was  highest,  he  thanked  the  President  for  his  recog 
nition  of  the  Negro  in  his  appointments  during  the 


HONOR  FOLLOWS  WORTH  229 

Spanish-American  War.  The  passage  was  uttered 
with  so  much  pathos  and  burning  earnestness  that  the 
vast  audience  arose  as  one  man,  yelling  and  shrieking, 
while  they  waved  hats,  handkerchiefs,  canes,  and  um 
brellas,  so  that  the  President  had  to  arise  and  acknowl 
edge  the  demonstration. 

One  portion  of  the  address  was  misinterpreted  by 
the  press  of  the  South.  Allusion  was  made  to  the  right 
of  the  Negro  to  live  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  his  rights. 
The  quotation  and  accompanying  misinterpretation 
went  the  circuit  of  the  Southern  press,  to  all  of  which, 
according  to  his  habit,  Washington  gave  no  heed,  until 
the  editor  of  the  Age-Herald,  at  Birmingham,  Ala 
bama,  asked  an  explanation  of  that  part  of  his  speech. 
This  led  Washington  to  reply  that  he  did  not  deem  it 
necessary  to  go  into  detailed  explanation  of  what  he 
had  said,  for  if  seventeen  years  of  the  character  of  the 
work  he  had  done  right  in  the  heart  of  the  South  was 
not  an  ample  answer  as  to  what  he  meant  he  did  not 
think  that  words  would  explain  it.  He  further  said 
that  it  had  been  an  invariable  rule  of  his  to  say  noth 
ing  in  the  North  which  he  would  not  say  in  the  South. 
He  referred  to  his  address  at  Atlanta,  and  stated  that 
what  he  said  at  Chicago  was  the  same  in  spirit,  and 
had  reference  to  the  obliteration  of  race  prejudice  in 
"  commercial  and  civil  relations."  He  further  ex 
plained  that  what  is  known  as  "  social  recognition  " 
was  a  question  never  discussed  by  him  anywhere,  and 
recalled  what  he  had  said  at  Atlanta  on  that  subject. 
This  closed  the  discussion  of  the  matter,  and  no  fur 
ther  question  was  ever  raised  concerning  his  position. 


230    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

Many  other  addresses  were  made  by  him  through 
out  the  country,  South  and  North,  after  this,  but  he 
was  never  again  called  to  account  because  of  his 
utterances.  The  confidence  in  the  man  and  in  his  mis 
sion  was  complete,  as  was  shown  by  the  elevated 
classes  of  society  who  listened  to  him  gladly. 


XVII 

WIDENING  INFLUENCE  AND   INCREASING 
POWER 

BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON  had  now  become 
a  national  figure.     He  was  equally  known  in 
every  quarter  of  the  Union.     He  had  attained 
a  distinction  never  before  held  by  a   Negro.      His 
greatness  was  appreciated  everywhere.     His  influence 
was   potential.     Sketches   of   his  career  appeared   in 
the  papers   and   magazines   throughout   the   country. 
Only  a  few  were  disposed  to  modify  the  estimate  of 
his  importance  by  the  expression  that  that  which  he 
did  was  excellent — "  for  a  Negro." 

On  one  occasion,  after  he  had  spoken  to  an  immense 
crowd  in  a  Southern  city,  an  audience  composed  of 
both  races,  three  gentlemen  were  walking  away  from 
the  hall  when  one  of  them  remarked  that  the  address 
was  a  most  remarkable  one.  Another  said  in  rather 
a  disparaging  way,  "  Yes,  that  does  pretty  well  for 
a  Negro."  The  third  remarked  that  he  was  a  philoso 
pher,  and  asked  if  the  disparager  had  ever  heard  any 
one  who  did  better.  He  acknowledged  that  it  was 
remarkably  good,  when  it  was  further  insisted  that 
to  undertake  to  modify  it  was  not  fair,  and  that  the 
address  would  have  been  ranked  great  no  matter  by 
whom  delivered.  Washington  had  caught  the  atten- 

231 


232    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

tion  of  the  entire  country,  and  his  race  was  the  chief 
beneficiary. 

In  the  colored  race  there  were  men  far  more  scholarly 
than  he,  others  more  fascinating  orators,  but  in  the 
combination  of  great  forces,  he  was  peerless  among  his 
people,  and  ranked  with  the  foremost  of  any  race. 
The  advantages  which  had  been  given  to  others  of  his 
race  in  educational  culture  stood  in  marked  contrast 
with  the  advantages  which  Washington  had  had  to 
create  for  himself.  He  was  emphatically  a  self-made 
man.  His  disadvantages  at  every  stage  of  his  career 
had  been  enormous  and  grave,  and  it  was  by  master 
ing  these  that  he  came  to  great  prominence.  His 
knowledge  of  life  was  from  within.  Experience  had 
ripened  him,  and  solid  good  sense  enabled  him  to 
formulate  principles  of  conduct  for  his  own  guidance 
and  for  that  of  others.  "  Experience  joined  with  com 
mon  sense  to  mortals  is  a  providence."  The  rules 
which  experience  suggests  are  better  than  those  which 
theorists  elaborate  in  their  libraries. 

All  along,  certain  silent  movements  had  been  oper 
ating  which  culminated  in  the  vindication  of  the  force 
of  the  colored  race  in  Booker  T.  Washington.  For 
a  number  of  years,  the  Negro  had  not  been  without 
pronounced  friends,  even  in  the  heart  of  the  South. 
These  quiet  forces  were  dissociated  and  largely  local, 
but  in  each  instance  were  thoroughly  disinterested. 
Even  at  a  period  when  one  hazarded  much,  especially 
of  personal  reputation,  to  espouse  the  cause  of  the 
blacks,  there  were  those  of  a  slave-holding  generation 
who  knew  the  Negro,  and  who,  braving  all  opposing 


BOOKER    T.    WASHINGTON    IN    MIDDLE    LIFE 


INFLUENCE  AND  POWER  233 

sentiment,  made  bold  to  speak  openly  in  his  behalf. 
This  was  not  without  incurring  much  disapprobation, 
but  the  advocates  had  the  manhood  to  take  counsel  of 
their  own  consciences,  and  were  indifferent  to  aught 
else.  The  most  notable  instance  of  this  kind  was 
when  a  leading  educator  and  bishop  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  Bishop  Atticus  Haygood, 
became,  not  vehemently,  but  decisively,  a  pronounced 
advocate  of  the  consideration  due  the  Negro,  and 
boldly  published  in  the  early  eighties,  "  The  Brother 
in  Black."  The  moral  heroism  of  his  conduct  was  the 
more  conspicuous  because  this  was  done  at  a  time  when 
race  opposition  was  fiercest  in  the  South.  Not  a  whit 
less  pronounced  was  Bishop  Galloway,  some  time  con 
temporaneous  with  Bishop  Haygood,  who  lived  a  num 
ber  of  years  after  the  decease  of  the  former  to  con 
tinue  the  espousal  of  the  cause  of  the  Negro.  Ex 
pressions  like  these,  and  from  such  sources,  completely 
nullified  those  of  the  crazed  penny  bookmakers  and 
cheap  actors  whose  highly-colored  sensationalism  had 
a  motive  no  higher  than  that  of  a  plethoric  purse. 

But  still  a  concrete  demonstration  was  needed  of 
that  which  had  been  insisted  on  by  others  for  years, 
and  that  came  when  Washington  appeared  on  the  scene 
in  the  fullness  of  time  and  duly  revealed  that  which 
the  Negro  is,  and  the  possibilities  resident  within  him. 
The  conditions  which  had  preceded,  united  with  those 
that  then  were,  gave  an  impulse  to  the  cause  of  the 
black  man  that  is  incalculable.  In  a  sense  the  country 
was  not  unprepared  for  the  demonstration  when  it 
came  to  be  made. 


234    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

The  way  being  open  to  Washington,  keener  vigi 
lance  was  kept  on  him  than  ever  before.  Every 
utterance  was  weighed,  every  action  watched,  to  see 
what  a  Negro  would  do  with  privileges  so  great.  But 
his  friends,  who  were  multiplying  among  the  most 
elevated  of  the  whites  of  the  South,  lost  no  oppor 
tunity  to  show  their  confidence  and  esteem.  A  few 
years  after  the  delivery  of  the  Atlanta  address,  Dr. 
Washington  had  occasion  to  go  to  California  via 
Houston,  Texas;  the  business  men  of  that  city  made 
a  special  effort  to  induce  him  to  stop  over  and  deliver 
an  address  at  that  point.  His  engagements  being 
previously  made  forbade  an  arrangement  of  the  kind, 
but  he  consented  to  stop  over  between  trains  and  make 
an  informal  talk.  On  his  arrival,  he  met  with  the 
leading  business  men  of  the  city  in  a  large  office,  where 
perhaps  fifty  of  the  picked  citizens  of  Houston  were 
ready  to  hear  him.  He  was  accorded  a  greeting  worthy 
of  any  distinguished  visitor,  and  though  it  was  in  the 
midst  of  the  busy  season,  they  had  come  to  hear  the 
noted  reconciler  and  race-lifter,  and  for  more  than 
an  hour  many  of  those  present  stood  while  he  spoke. 
This  was  only  an  incident,  but  it  meant  much  in  a 
large,  busy  city  like  Houston.  The  present  writer 
heard  him  on  that  occasion  and  was  surprised  at  the 
/reception  and  responsiveness  accorded  him.  He  spoke 
/  with  bold  but  courteous  frankness  in  the  presentation 
of  the  claims  of  his  people,  not  without  an  occasional 
bold  sally,  and  never  in  a  subservient  or  apologetic 
way,  but  throughout  with  directness  and  respect,  and 
no  one  could  have  had  more  attention  and  considera- 

A 


INFLUENCE  AND  POWER  235 

tion.  He  made  a  profound  impression,  and  at  the 
close  of  his  talk  was  applauded  and  each  one  present 
gladly  approached  him  with  the  outstretched  hand  of 
congratulation. 

On  one  occasion  while  uttering  a  stirring  period 
in  an  address  before  an  audience  of  both  races,  he 
recited  the  wrongs  heaped  on  his  people,  trampling 
them  down  under  the  feet  of  force,  and  it  seemed  for 
a  time  that  he  was  trenching  on  the  ground  of  in 
cendiarism.  Finally  he  rose  to  his  full  height  and 
asked  in  stentorian  tones,  "  What  are  we  to  do?  Are 
we  to  turn  in  vengeance,  and  pillage  and  burn,  and 
return  hate  for  hate?  Not  so.  I  will  permit  no 
enemy  to  degrade  my  soul  to  the  level  of  hate.  I  shall 
endure,  and  so  advise  my  people  to  be  patient,  for  the 
day  of  deliverance  will  come."  Expressions  like  these 
were  eagerly  caught  up  by  his  enemies  within  his  own 
race  and  sought  to  be  exploited  as  indications  of  the 
surrender  of  the  race  to  all  conditions  whatsoever. 
For  Washington  to  have  adopted  the  policy  desirecf\ 
to  be  pursued  by  his  opposers  in  his  own  race,  would  j 
have  been  to  destroy  himself  and  to  have  arrested  the  / 
progress  of  his  race  for  many  years  to  come.  En-/ 
durance  is  not  a  servile  quality,  but  sycophancy  is. 
No  one  ever  knew  of  Washington's  indorsement  of  im 
position  on  his  people.  By  reason  of  his  attitude  of 
endurance  he  was  in  a  better  position  to  plead  for  that 
which  was  right.  His  voice  was  always  heard  in 
protest.  He  could  at  any  time  have  inflamed  his  people 
with  a  word,  and  at  any  moment  have  precipitated 
slaughter  and  blood.  But  if  he  had  done  so,  what 


236    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

would  have  been  the  result?  His  race  would  have 
been  crushed,  and  the  possibility  of  an  upward  move 
would  have  been  delayed  indefinitely.  His  voice  was 
always  raised  for  endurance  under  wrong,  for  patience 
in  tribulation,  and  for  persistence  in  right  living,  as 
the  sure  antidote  for  persecution,  and  he  believed  that 
in  due  time  all  cruelties  would  be  cured  by  a  course 
like  this. 

History  is  not  without  a  parallel  to  the  condition 
of  the  Negro  in  America.  At  a  certain  period  in 
English  history,  the  Jew  was  the  victim  of  as  cruel 
persecution  as  was  ever  visited  on  any  inoffensive  and 
dependable  people.  Their  synagogues,  homes,  and 
places  of  business  were  burned,  and  themselves  were 
hanged,  quartered,  and  otherwise  mangled.  They 
were  oppressed  by  cruel  taxation  during  the  reigns  of 
several  kings,  till  at  last  under  Edward  I  they  were 
expelled  with  confiscation  of  their  property;  many  of 
them  were  drowned,  and  such  as  were  spared  to  live 
were  stranded  on  barren  shores  with  expressions  of 
mockery  and  jeer.  For  fully  three  hundred  years  not 
a  Jew  was  permitted  to  set  foot  on  English  soil,  but 
under  Cromwell  they  came  slowly  back.  The  laws 
against  them  were  finally  annulled,  the  Hebrews  came 
to  their  own  in  the  realm,  many  of  them  becoming 
eminent  in  the  politics  of  the  nation,  one  rising  to  the 
premiership  of  Great  Britain  while  others  became  dis 
tinguished  jurists.  The  present  Lord  Chief  Justice, 
Sir  Rufus  Isaacs,  or  Lord  Reading,  is  a  Jew,  while 
capitalists  among  them  are  manifold.  The  Jew  to-day 
holds  the  purse-strings  of  Europe.  Persecution  is  its 


INFLUENCE  AND  POWER  237 

own  avenger.  Unless  history  teaches  this  important 
lesson,  then  as  an  instructor  it  is  useless. 
'  Until  recent  years,  not  only  was  the  Negro  not  heard 
in  his  appeals  against  wholesale  indiscrimination,  but 
a  white  friend  was  placed  under  the  ban  if  he  should 
essay  to  interpose  by  a  statement  of  fact.  It  is  not 
least  among  the  favorable  signs  of  the  times  that  that 
which  has  long  been  discussed  as  the  race  question, 
is  at  last  beginning  to  be  approached  in  a  temper  fairly 
free  from  partisan  bias.  Yet,  despite  the  lapse  of  more 
than  a  half-century,  the  embers  of  the  great  con 
flict  in  which  slavery  perished  are  still  hot,  if  one  but 
deeply  stir  the  ashes. 

That  which  took  place  in  connection  with  the  Jews 
in  Britain  occurred  in  the  thirteenth  century  in  a 
monarchy  not  yet  sufficiently  removed  from  the  period 
of  barbarism  to  have  given  expectation  of  much  else. 
But  this  is  the  twentieth  century,  and  this  is  demo 
cratic  America,  the  conditions  in  which  evoked  from 
an  Englishman,  some  years  ago,  a  parody  on  a  fa 
miliar  line,  "  The  land  of  the  free,  and  the  home  of 
the  slave" 

Certainly  nobody  would  seek  to  idolize  the  Negro, 
nor  even  to  accord  to  him  that  beyond  his  desert;  but 
to  the  extent  that  he  is  worthy,  every  consideration 
of  humanity,  justice,  and  righteousness  demands  that 
recognition  be  given  him.  He  asks  no  more — he  could 
not  ask  less. 

In  the  role  he  had  assumed,  Washington  would  avoid 
friction.  He  saw  no  possible  good  in  even  the  slight 
est  display  of  violence.  He  counseled  peace  as  the 


238    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

only  possible  means  whereby  the  colored  race  could 
accomplish  anything.  He  urged  that  when  reviled 
his  people  revile  not  again.  There  was  hope  in  sub 
mission  to  cruelty,  none  whatever  in  resisting  it.  He 
would  "  seek  peace  and  pursue  it."  So  far  from  seek 
ing  to  absorb  within  himself  whatever  benefit  might  ac 
crue  from  a  course  like  this,  Washington  was  constantly 
pressing  the  claims  of  his  race.  His  people  were  being 
disfranchised  in  one  state  after  another,  including 
I  Alabama,  his  own  state,  but  he  was  helpless.  He  still 
urged  submission  to  the  inevitable,  insisting  that  by 
the  limitations  imposed  as  a  standard  for  Negro  quali 
fication  for  voting,  the  colored  man  .would  be  stimu 
lated  to  fresher  exertion,  and  that,  in  the  long  run,  he 
would  be  the  beneficiary.  This  failed  to  satisfy  some 
of  his  own  people,  who  insisted  that  his  attitude  was 
one  of  indifference  to  the  good  of  the  race,  and  that 
he  was  bought  by  the  money  of  the  white  men  in  the 
promotion  of  his  cherished  interests  at  Tuskegee. 
While  he  knew  that  this  was  unfounded  and  therefore 
unjust,  he  was  calm  in  the  assurance  of  doing  his  full 
duty  as  he  knew  it,  and  would  not  deign  to  make 
reply.  This  accusation  was,  however,  quite  limited, 
while  the  masses  of  his  people  were  with  him. 

Instead  of  resistance  he  would  have  his  people 
neither  pine  nor  whine,  but  with  uplifted  vision  to 
higher  things,  press  on  in  the  way  of  industry  and 
peace,  and  finally  win  by  worth.  This  he  continued  to 
inculcate  at  Tuskegee,  and  on  occasions  before  the 
public.  In  addressing  his  own  race,  he  urged  this, 
while  at  the  same  time  he  lost  no  opportunity  to  indi- 


INFLUENCE  AND  POWER  239 

cate  to  the  white  race  the  importance  of  recognizing 
the  fact  that  the  good  of  one  people  was  that  of  the 
other,  and  that  the  interests  of  the  races  were  so  iden 
tical  that  they  must  stand  or  fall  together.    With  equal  X 
force  he  insisted  that  to  keep  the  Negro  depressed      \ 
the  white  man  must  depress  the  standard  of  his  own 
manhood,  using  the  apt  but  homely  figure  which  be-      / 
came  a  proverb — "  In  order  to  keep  the  colored  man    / 
down  in  the  ditch  the  white  man  must  be  there  also."  ' 

From  all  this  it  is  clear  that  Washington,  more 
than  any  other  man  of  either  race,  was  laboring  for 
the  welfare  of  the  Negro.  More  than  any  man 
of  either  race,  perhaps,  he  saw  the  philosophy  of  the 
situation.  It  is  true  that  his  growth  of  popularity 
and  of  prominence  gave  him  enlarged  opportunity, 
and  he  was  seeking  to  turn  it  to  the  best  account  pos 
sible.  That  the  vision  which  he  had  was  the  sanest 
one  possible,  events  have  proved,  and  from  the  pres 
ent  trend  of  conditions  the  possibilities  which  he  fore 
saw  many  years  ago  are  gradually  coming  about. 
Severely  criticised  as  he  was  he  budged  not  an  inch 
from  his  position,  while  he  was  equally  steadfast  in 
the  provision  of  methods  for  race  advancement.  The 
many-sidedness  of  his  character  was  brought  out  by 
the  unusual  conditions  in  which  he  was  placed. 
Looked  at  from  the  distance  of  years,  his  work  under 
the  strain  to  which  he  was  subjected  is  even  more 
wonderful  than  it  then  appeared  to  be. 

Booker  T.  Washington  combined  in  a  potent  way 
qualities  which  no  other  of  either  race  displayed,  at  the 
time  that  he  was  laboring  and  planning  for  better 


240    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

things.  It  was  not  extravagant  to  say  that  he  was  at 
once  a  seer,  prophet,  practical  philosopher,  sage,  con- 
structionist,  race-builder,  wise  counselor,  and  a  citizen 
of  unimpeachable  character,  and  as  such,  and  because 
of  the  possession  of  these  qualities,  he  made  for  him 
self  a  name  in  the  annals  not  only  of  America,  but 
in  those  of  the  most  advanced  civilization  of  the  globe. 
It  is  easy  to  punctuate  his  record  with  "  if  s,"  "  buts," 
and  "  unlesses  "  and  other  terms  equally  disparaging, 
but  his  record  is  secure.  He  lived  and  wrought  phe 
nomenally  and  his  name  and  fame  are  co-existent 
with  modern  civilization. 


XVIII 

RACE  ORGANIZATION  AND  CONSTRUC 
TION 

DR.  WASHINGTON'S  work  at  Tuskegee  be 
ing  now  fully  established  and  thoroughly 
manned,  he  was  able  to  give  more  attention 
to  the  general  interests  of  the  race.  Up  to  this  time, 
that  which  he  had  done  for  his  people  in  a  general 
way,  had  been  incidental  and  occasional.  Of  course, 
the  school  at  Tuskegee  was  his  first  care,  but  he  had 
constructed  this  solidly  through  the  years.  Capitalists 
and  philanthropists,  seeing  its  wonderful  success,  had 
become  its  cordial  supporters.  It  is  an  error,  how 
ever,  to  suppose  that  these  resources  came  in  copious 
profusion  without  solicitation.  Every  dollar  invested 
at  Tuskegee  represented  labor  to  procure  it — the  labor 
of  the  wise  master-builder  of  the  school.  Not  till  he 
had  shown  his  ability  to  construct,  organize,  and  direct, 
was  aid  forthcoming.  The  financial  assistance  was 
the  effect  and  not  the  means  of  his  marvelous  success. 
He  had  created  something  out  of  nothing,  had  built 
solidly  and  symmetrically  at  each  succeeding  stage  of 
his  laborious  advancement,  had  wrought  and  achieved 
without  flourish,  and  had  displayed  an  ability  so  many- 
sided  that  he  had  occasioned  a  condition  eliciting  the 
attention  of  philanthropists,  in  consequence  of  which 

241 


242    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

money  came,  as  well  as  the  timely  counsel  of  able 
capitalists.  Tuskegee  came  to  afford  an  opportunity 
for  investment  in  character  that  is  rarely  equaled. 
What  more  could  be  desired  as  an  object  worthy  of 
aid  than  an  institution  that  had  been  literally  forced 
into  existence  in  response  to  a  necessity  growing  out 
of  the  conditions  of  ten  million  people  who  had  but 
lately  been  slaves  ?  Through  years  of  difficulty  it  had 
forced  its  way,  opposed  by  every  possible  obstruction, 
and  had  become  famous  by  reason  of  its  unprecedented 
and  novel  success.  It  was  next  to  the  seemingly  im 
possible  that  had  been  wrought  by  Booker  T.  Wash 
ington.  He  had  upset  every  adverse  theory  indulged 
in  concerning  his  race  while  it  was  yet  struggling,  and 
as  its  champion  and  leader  he  had  shown  that  which 
the  Negro  is  capable  of  becoming  and  of  doing. 

Tuskegee  had  thus  become  a  great  race  fulcrum. 
That  fulcrum  constructed,  Washington  could  now 
turn  his  attention  and  administrative  skill  toward 
measures  looking  to  race  elevation.  Here  was  even  a 
greater  task,  vast  and  herculean  in  its  proportions, 
but  the  principles  so  successfully  applied  at  Tuskegee 
would  now  be  applied  as  far  as  was  practicable  to  the 
needs  of  a  great  race.  Stupendous  difficulties  dis 
puted  his  way  at  the  outset,  but  the  race  must  grapple 
with  these  and  thereby  establish  its  worthiness.  They 
must  be  met  by  the  black  man  in  order  to  vindicate  his 
claim  to  a  place  in  American  life.  Could  it  be  done? 
Tuskegee  was  the  inspiring  answer. 

Washington  never  assumed  that  he  embodied  within 
himself  the  forces  of  the  race,  but  just  the  contrary. 


RACE  ORGANIZATION  243 

He  knew  his  people,  knew  their  spirit  and  their  pos 
sibilities,  and  knew  how  to  touch  keys  that  would 
evoke  response.  Familiar  with  the  principles  which 
had  yielded  success  at  Tuskegee,  he  sought  to  apply 
them  as  far  as  practicable  to  the  race  as  a  whole. 
One  advantage  was  his — he  had  already  in  an  inci 
dental  way  aided  in  different  directions  these  same 
people,  had  thus  far  succeeded,  and  he  could  point 
continually  to  Tuskegee  as  an  object-lesson  of  that 
which  all  could  achieve,  at  least  to  some  extent. 

Another  advantage  was  his — the  Negro  had  already 
shown  by  the  most  unmistakable  signs  that  he  was 
willing  to  do,  was  wishing  to  become  worthy,  and  was 
longing  for  relief,  but  had  been  working  blindly. 
His  efforts  had  been  incoherent.  He  could  produce, 
but  he  was  not  an  economical  husbandman  of  the  re 
sults  of  his  labors.  He  was  too  much  of  a  spend 
thrift  of  his  precious  dollars.  He  needed  stern  in 
struction,  guidance,  direction.  He  had  been  striking 
in  the  dark.  His  forces  were  dissipated,  and  his  lack 
of  knowledge  made  him  the  easy  victim  of  the  de 
signing  and  the  unscrupulous.  He  produced,  but  did 
not  realize.  Others  realized  the  results  of  his  labors. 
He  must  be  trained  to  economy.  There  were  unques 
tioned  indications  of  vast  ability  on  the  part  of  the 
race,  but  that  ability  needed  to  be  diverted  into  proper 
channels. 

Some  things  that  produced  merriment  at  the  ex 
pense  of  the  race  were  in  themselves  indexes  of  deep 
worth  if  they  could  be  properly  manipulated.  The 
Negro  had  great  ambition— that  germ  from  which  all 


244    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

growth  of  nobleness  proceeds.  As  a  mass  he  pined 
for  something,  he  scarcely  knew  what.  His  struggle 
for  education  under  every  phase  of  disadvantage,  suf 
fering,  and  endurance  was  intense.  His  desire  for  a 
home  of  his  own,  churches,  and  schools,  and  places  of 
business,  was  an  indication  of  profound  racial  worth. 
Even  his  fondness  for  titles  for  which  he  was  not 
worthy  or  prepared,  though  esteemed  a  weakness,  and 
laughed  at,  had  within  itself  a  dynamic  force  that 
meant  much.  So  far  as  was  possible,  he  had  shown 
his  worth.  The  advance  guard  of  his  destined  prog 
ress  in  the  various  vocations  was  already  on  the 
march.  He  had  his  pioneer  poet  of  unquestioned 
ability  in  Dunbar,  his  novelist  of  force  and  beauty  in 
Chestnutt,  his  painter  of  international  distinction  in 
Tanner,  his  scholars  in  men  like  Du  Bois  and  Miller, 
his  successful  planters  many,  at  the  head  of  the  pro 
fession  of  which  was  Grooves,  his  brilliant  editors 
like  Fortune  and  Trotter,  his  ecclesiastical  leaders  like 
Tanner,  Turner,  Morris,  and  others,  his  capitalists 
like  Boyd  and  Pettiford,  his  jurists  like  Terrell  and 
Lewis,  his  statesmen  like  Bruce,  his  orators  like 
Walker  and  Mason,  all  of  whom  had  pushed  their  way 
through  difficulty  and  had  attained  to  eminence  in 
their  respective  orbits.  Nor  were  all  of  these  of 
mixed  blood,  to  which  fact  of  Anglo-Saxon  re-enforce 
ment  is  so  often  attributed  Negro  success,  for  some 
were  as  black  as  any.  What  did  the  race  need  in 
order  to  multiply  these  manifold?  Nothing  more 
than  a  fair  chance  in  the  race  of  life.  Oppressed,  sup 
pressed,  depressed,  discouraged  rather  than  animated, 


RACE  ORGANIZATION  245 

it  needed  the  force  of  organization  by  means  of  which 
it  could  make  itself  so  emphatically  felt  that  recog 
nition  of  merit  could  not  be  withheld. 

To  this  end  Washington  now  gave  much  attention 
without  in  the  least  releasing  his  grip  on  the  school  at 
Tuskegee.  If  the  dominant  public  declined  to  accord  4 
recognition  to  the  merit  of  these  worthy  people  by  the  \ 
ordinary  laws  of  recognition,  then  the  Negro  must 
prove  by  extraordinary  fact  that  he  was  an  element 
of  undeniable  value  as  an  asset  of  American  civiliza 
tion.  If  the  fact  of  his  worth  was  that  which  was 
demanded,  and  if  the  unquestioned  evidence  of  so 
many  worthies  was  interpreted  to  mean  only  partial 
exceptions  while  the  race  was  still  regarded  with  seri 
ous  doubt,  then  the  Negro  must  rise  in  his  gigantic 
race  strength,  and  evince  such  worth  that  recognition 
could  not  be  withheld.  It  was  hard  that  this  was  so, 
very  hard,  but  such  was  the  logic  of  the  situation. 

The  imported  man  from  Europe  and  from  Asia 
could  come  across  the  seas,  become  naturalized,  and  be 
invested  with  all  the  functions  of  American  citizen 
ship;  but  then  they  were  not  Negroes,  a  thing  that 
meant  much  to  many  people.  Here  were  millions  of 
native  Americans  whose  loyalty  had  not  slackened 
through  centuries,  and  whose  capability  had  been 
phenomenally  demonstrated  where  even  the  slightest 
chance  was  given — but  then  they  were  Negroes! 
Strangely  blind  as  were  many  to  all  else  than  the  fact 
of  race,  the  opportunity  of  the  Negro  was  narrowly 
restricted  and  largely  to  that  of  his  own  creation. 

Very  well,  then,  the  race  must  meet  the  situation. 


246    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

It  could  not  afford  to  curse  the  situation,  foment  agi 
tation  and  strife,  and  thereby  make  worse  the  condi 
tions.  There  was  a  way  out,  and  that  way  Washing 
ton  took,  followed  by  thousands  of  enthusiastic  co 
adjutors.  While  regarded  with  a  sneer  by  not  a  few, 
the  efforts  of  the  American  Negro  afford  one  of  the 
most  pathetic  displays  of  human  struggle  the  world 
has  ever  known.  One  has  only  to  discard  from  his 
thought  the  race  idea  to  appreciate  the  seriousness 
of  the  inner  meaning  of  this  struggle.  At  the  first, 
Washington  himself  had  been  distrusted,  and  thought 
of  by  some  as  only  a  race-ruiner;  but  now  that  he  had 
succeeded  and  had  won  the  heights,  he  was  applauded. 
Every  Negro  could  not  become  a  Washington,  but 
every  one,  in  proportion  to  ability,  could  do  some 
thing,  and  in  the  aggregation  of  these  into  organiza 
tion,  a  serried  front  of  merit  could  be  shown  that  none 
could  gainsay.  It  was  this  which  this  great  leader  now 
sought. 

He  would  lay  under  tribute  every  means  of  en 
couragement.  He  would  write  a  timely  book,  a 
revelation  to  both  races,  in  which  he  would  show  his 
own  struggles  from  the  period  of  a  pauperized  youth 
fresh  from  slavery,  all  along  up  the  slippery  heights 
that  he  had  scaled.  Hence  his  "  Up  from  Slavery." 
He  would  follow  this  with  yet  another  which  would 
be  a  source  of  inspiration  and  of  stimulation;  hence 
'  The  Negro  in  Business,"  itself  a  revelation  to  his 
own  people  and  to  others  besides.  By  word  of  mouth 
and  by  busy  pen  and  constant  trips  and  tours,  he  was 
infusing  fresh  life  into  his  people  everywhere  by  means 


RACE  ORGANIZATION  247 

of  facts  and  principles  which  were  a  source  of  aston 
ishment  alike  to  both  races. 

There  was  that  in  his  course  of  procedure  at  this 
time  which,  had  he  been  other  than  a  Negro,  would 
have  been  ranked  as  the  highest  exhibition  of  mag 
nanimity,  which  it  was;  but  being  a  Negro,  many 
esteemed  it  no  more  than  a  display  of  servility  and  of 
sycophancy  for  purposes  purely  sinister.  The  spirit 
which  dwelt  in  Washington's  course  was  that  of  a 
common  Americanism,  not  one  of  isolated  and  defiant 
racialism.  He  encouraged  no  such  spirit  as  that  of 
defiance,  of  assumption,  or  of  presumption,  but  he 
would  weld  into  compactness  a  common  American 
sentiment,  a  democratic  unanimity  of  cooperation  on 
the  part  of  both  races  living  in  a  common  country, 
under  a  common  fundamental  law,  and  under  a  com 
mon  flag,  with  a  common  goal  to  be  reached.  While 
a  great  race-lover,  he  was  a  greater  man-lover.  He 
would  smooth  down  the  asperities  of  both  peoples 
alike,  and  bring  them  into  common  union  of  effort, 
each  in  its  own  sphere,  distinct  in  race,  one  in  pur 
pose. 

Exceedingly  valuable  to  his  own  race,  Washington 
was  not  a  whit  less  so  to  the  Anglo-Saxon.  He  was 
a  common  benefactor,  and  the  dominant  race  will  be 
recreant  to  the  simplest  principle  of  gratitude  if  there 
be  withheld  the  appraisal  due  him  as  a  great  man  whose 
entire  force  was  spent  in  genuine  patriotism  for  the 
good  of  all  alike.  At  the  time  about  which  we  now 
write,  he  was  in  the  performance  of  his  most  delicate 
mission,  and  was  sometimes  gratuitously  misjudged 


248    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

and  his  conduct  forced  into  a  meaning  which  was 
the  opposite  of  what  it  really  was.  This  was  illus 
trated  at  different  times  of  which  he  was  not  aware, 
and  an  instance  is  here  recorded  as  an  index  of  others. 
He  was  traveling  on  a  Pullman,  with  his  wife,  from 
Montgomery  to  New  Orleans.  A  white  gentleman 
who  knew  him  was  passing  along  the  aisle  and  he 
stopped  and  shook  hands  with  him.  Another,  observ 
ing  the  hand-shaking,  followed  the  gentleman  into 
the  smoking-room,  with  the  impertinent  question : 
"  Was  that  not  a  nigger  with  whom  you  shook  hands, 
just  now?"  He  was  told  that  it  was,  and  that  the 
one  with  whom  he  had  thus  spoken  was  Booker  T. 
Washington.  This  led  to  a  tirade  on  the  part  of  the 
interferer,  a  rain  of  abuse  of  Washington  with  an 
interlarding  of  oaths,  concluding  with  the  expression 
of  the  opinion  that  both  Washington  and  his  wife 
should  be  expelled  from  the  sleeper.  A  number  of 
gentlemen  overheard  the  remarks,  and  a  manly  defense 
of  Washington  was  made  by  every  other,  not  without 
the  expenditure  of  much  passion.  The  chief  and  un 
answerable  thought  was  advanced  that  the  demand  was 
made  on  the  Negro  to  become  somebody,  and  that 
when  he  sought  to  do  this,  he  was  denounced.  He 
was  railed  on  when  he  did  not  dance  at  the  piping  of 
others,  and  there  was  mourning  when  he  would  not 
lament.  Finally  the  objector  fell  back  on  the  defense, 
:<  Yes,  but  Booker  Washington  is  a  nigger !  "  Here 
again,  he  was  not  permitted  to  make  a  stand,  but  his 
inconsistency  was  made  so  clear  that  he  was  utterly 
routed,  and  sought  to  turn  the  occasion  into  a  joke, 


RACE  ORGANIZATION  249 

to  the  disgust  of  all  present.  Booker  T.  Washington 
had  reached  a  period  in  his  life  when  there  were 
many  who  would  befriend  him  in  any  circle,  and  as  a 
representative  of  his  race  his  people  shared  in  the 
growing  sentiment  in  the  South.  He  was  still  achiev 
ing,  still  pursuing. 

One  other  occasion  may  be  mentioned  in  the  same 
connection.  A  gentleman  from  the  South  had  been 
visiting  Tuskegee,  where  he  became  overwhelmingly 
impressed  by  the  school  and  its  work;  wishing  to 
ascertain  the  estimate  in  which  the  institution  was 
held  in  the  locality,  he  engaged  in  conversation  on 
the  train  with  a  prominent  citizen  of  Tuskegee,  a 
judge,  whose  premises  abutted  on  those  of  the  campus 
of  the  Institute.  Feigning  sincerity  the  visitor  quizzed 
the  judge  by  asking  how  it  was  possible  for  the  peo 
ple  of  Tuskegee  to  tolerate  the  presence  of  so  many 
young  Negroes,  and  of  a  herd  of  teachers  of  that  race 
under  such  a  man  as  Booker  Washington. 

The  judge,  taking  the  questioner  seriously,  replied 
that  no  doubt  many  who  lived  away  from  Tuskegee 
entertained  thoughts  like  those,  but  added  that  his 
yard  adjoined  the  campus,  and  he  presumed  that  if 
anyone  was  able  to  express  an  opinion  of  the  school 
he  was.  Then  he  said  he  had  been  living  there  for 
years,  and  that  he  regarded  the  presence  of  those 
people  as  a  genuine  protection  to  his  home.  He  ex 
plained  that  he  was  often  away  from  home  for  days 
together,  and  felt  the  securer  because  the  school  was 
there.  He  said  that  those  people  in  the  school  would 
die  for  his  family  if  necessary,  and  that  so  far  from 


250    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

being  a  menace  they  were  a  protection  and  a  blessing. 
Then  at  great  length  he  proceeded  to  tell  of  the  utmost 
order  preserved,  the  absence  even  of  yelling  on  the 
grounds,  the  politeness  always  shown  by  the  humblest 
student,  the  aid  of  those  valuable  people  to  the  town, 
the  service  that  they  rendered  with  so  much  cheerful 
ness,  the  excellent  butter  and  milk,  vegetables  and 
fruits  that  they  furnished,  the  readiness  and  skill  with 
which  they  executed  any  work  desired,  and  concluded 
by  saying  that  the  school  was  the  pride  of  the  town. 
Still  insistent  in  his  assumed  sincerity,  the  questioner 
remarked,  "  But  they  are  Negroes."  This  led  the 
judge  to  remark  with  decided  emphasis  that  it  made 
no  difference  if  they  were,  they  met  the  demands  of 
first-class  neighbors,  and  that  should  be  sufficient  to 
satisfy  any  reasonable  man.  Proceeding  still  farther 
he  remarked  that  there  was  a  marked  disposition  on 
the  part  of  some  to  underestimate  the  Negro,  but  if  the 
visitor  would  stay  sufficiently  long  about  Tuskegee 
he  would  be  thoroughly  converted.  The  questioner 
thereupon  expressed  ample  satisfaction,  and  the  con 
versation  was  turned. 

One  of  the  direct  methods  of  race  organization  and 
construction  was  the  suggestion  to  a  number  of  his 
brightest  students  to  found  schools  in  the  midst  of 
the  densest  populations  of  the  colored  race  in  different 
parts  of  the  South.  These  miniature  Tuskegees  were 
indirectly  fostered  by  Dr.  Washington,  land  being 
procured  in  each  instance  through  the  enlistment  of 
influential  white  citizens,  and,  in  due  time,  adequate 
buildings  erected. 


RACE  ORGANIZATION  251 

The  most  far-reaching  work  in  race  enlistment, 
however,  was  that  of  the  organization  of  the  National 
Negro  Business  League,  the  first  session  being  held  at 
Boston  in  {1900^^  This  organization  cohered  the 
Negro  forces  of  the  nation  as  nothing  else  has  doi 
Year  after  year  it  has  brought  together  the  active) 
economic  forces  of  the  race,  and  has  imparted 
stimulus  that  has  more  thrilled  the  colored  race  tin 
has  any  other  movement.  An  annual  session  of  the 
general  body  is  held  in  some  city,  North  or  South,  at 
which  times  Negro  business  men  vie  with  each  other 
in  exhibiting  their  varied  enterprises  of  whatever 
kind.  For  fifteen  years  these  annual  sessions  have 
now  been  held  with  a  wonderful  increase  of  interest 
and  enterprise.  The  master  spirit  of  Washington  has 
dominated  its  councils  and  proceedings,  he  having  been 
chosen  the  presiding  officer  at  each  annual  session  till 
his  death. 

What  are  some  of  the  visible  results  of  this  organi 
zation?  There  are  twelve  auxiliary  state  leagues 
maintained  in  each  of  the  following  states :  Alabama, 
Arkansas,  Florida,  Indiana,  Kansas,  Louisiana,  Mis 
sissippi,  North  Carolina,  Oklahoma,  South  Carolina, 
Texas,  and  Virginia.  In  each  of  the  states  named 
and  in  others  there  are  chartered  local  leagues  as 
follows:  Alabama,  18;  Arkansas,  3;  California,  5; 
Colorado,  2;  Connecticut,  2;  Delaware,  i;  District 
of  Columbia,  i;  Florida,  10;  Georgia,  16;  Illinois,  6; 
Indiana,  4;  Kansas,  9;  Kentucky,  13;  Louisiana,  9; 
Maryland,  6;  Massachusetts,  3;  Mississippi,  n;  Mis 
souri,  5;  Nebraska,  i;  New  Jersey,  6;  New  York,  3; 


252    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

North  Carolina,  23;  Ohio,  4;  Oklahoma,  16;  Penn 
sylvania,  4;  Rhode  Island,  2;  South  Carolina,  n; 
Tennessee,  15;  Texas,  21;  Virginia,  18;  West  Vir 
ginia,  8,  and  Africa,  i.  This  makes  a  grand  total 
of  257  local  leagues,  every  one  of  which  is  a  busy 
hive  of  activity  and  enthusiasm.  Here  we  have  as 
the  product  of  this  wizard  of  quiet  organization  a 
long  chain  of  local  business  centers  of  inspiration  and 
force  in  race  construction. 

Nor  are  these  merely  nominal  organizations.  They 
are  instinct  with  vitality.  To  attend  their  meetings, 
especially  those  of  the  largest,  or  national,  organi 
zation,  gives  an  idea  of  the  rapid  development  of  the 
race  such  as  cannot  be  elsewhere  had.  The  well- 
dressed  men  of  business  are  not  present  for  verbose 
prattle,  but  are  calm  and  dignified,  and  in  their  brief 
speeches  are  short  and  sharp,  with  the  due  regard  for 
economy  of  time  so  characteristic  of  men  of  business. 

According  to  the  census  of  1910  the  Negroes  owned 
218,972  farms  embracing  almost  20,000,000  acres, 
owned  or  presided  over  by  600,000  colored  men,  and 
had  built  and  equipped  about  500,000  homes,  while 
they  had  38,000  churches,  22,000  business  interests, 
and  53  banks.  The  total  valuation  of  the  property 
owned  by  the  Negroes  of  the  country  amounts  to 
about  $800,000,000.  It  is  altogether  worthy  of 
mention  that  Negroes  sustain  about  200  private 
.-schools  and  colleges,  besides  hospitals,  old  folks' 
homes,  and  sanitaria.  The  conditions  of  the  race 
in  the  different  states  of  the  South  are  in  propor 
tion  to  the  extent  of  cooperation  between  the  two 


RACE  ORGANIZATION  253 

races.     While  there  are  perplexing  features  of  thatX     , 
which  is  popularly  called  the  race  question,  there  is  \  / 
no  doubt  about  the  continued  rapid  progress  of  the    < 
Negro. 

As  the  years  went  by,  the  labors  and  travels  of  Dr. 
Washington  were  greatly  increased.  He  was  sub 
jected  to  a  strain  which  itself  became  normal  so 
habituated  was  he  to  it.  He  was  in  perpetual  demand 
here,  there,  and  everywhere,  and  honored  everywhere 
for  his  works'  sake.  Several  years  before  his  death 
he  had  an  appointment  to  deliver  an  address  at  Char 
lotte,  North  Carolina,  and  no  pains  were  spared  to 
show  him  every  possible  distinction.  A  committee  of 
prominent  white  citizens  were  appointed  by  the  mayor 
to  meet  him  at  the  station  and  accord  to  him  a  recep 
tion  worthy  of  his  position.  These  white  citizens  o?\ 
the  South  had  nothing  to  gain  by  flattering  the  great 
pioneer  of  Negro  elevation,  therefore  their  actions 
could  not  have  been  other  than  sincere.  It  may  be  said  / 
in  passing,  that  in  no  other  state  of  the  Union  is  the  / 
colored  race  more  advanced  than  in  North  Carolina.' 

This  and  other  incidents  in  the  career  of  Dr.  Wash 
ington  and,  indeed,  in  that  of  other  colored  men  of* 
worth,  proved  to  him  and  to  them  that  a  reformation 
looking  to  race  adjustment  is  on  the  march  in  the 
South.  Expressions  like  the  one  just  mentioned  bore 
positive  proof  to  the  mind  of  the  illustrious  uplifter 
that  his  labors  were  not  in  vain.  In  summing  up 
the  estimate  of  his  worth  nothing  is  clearer  than  that 
he  did  more  for  his  people  during  his  career  than  all 
others  of  the  race  combined,  and  did  it  in  such  way  as 


254    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

to  win  the  approbation  of  the  humanitarians  of  the 
world. 

Not  till  twenty  years  before  he  passed  away  was 
Washington  enabled  to  catch  in  public  address  the  ear 
of  the  South,  but  thenceforward  no  one  of  the  South 
engaged  more  the  attention  of  the  public.  If  he  stooped 
to  conquer,  the  people,  irrespective  of  race,  were  the 
beneficiaries,  and  he  passed  to  his  tomb  followed  by 
a  universal  acclaim  that  a  great  man  was  gone. 


XIX 

THE  SPIRIT  OF  ENLISTMENT 

IT   required  nearly  twenty-five  years  of  gigantic 
grapple  with  difficulty  for  Booker  T.  Washington 
to  bring  his  race  in  America  to  the  attention  of 
the  world.     In  obscure  regions  here  and  there  about 
the  South,  entirely  unobserved  save  in  the  localities 
in  which  they  were,  many  colored  men  had  gradually, 
come  into  the  possession  of  land  cheapened  in  value  \     % 
as  the  result  of  the  war,  had  gone  to  work,  and  were  ! 
quietly    and    obscurely    accumulating    wealth,    while/ 
others  had  established  little  industries  of  various  kinds  | 
these  formed  a  nucleus  of  organization  which  became*- 
an  engine  of  propulsion  to  the  pioneers  of  race  ad-j 
vancement,   and  stirred  others   from  their  lethargy., 
These  forces  were  working  without  concert  of  action, 
and  unknown  to  each  other,  because  they  had  no  means 
of  intercommunication,  and  it  was  this  that  Wash 
ington  supplied  at  a  time  when  public  sentiment  had 
become  more  conciliatory.     By  the  combination  of 
these  two  agencies  of  organization  and  conciliation  the 
race  was  enabled  to  set  forth  on  a  new  era. 

Being  able  to  exploit  the  achievements  of  his  peo 
ple  under  difficulty,  he 


stantial  aidv  and  the  first  line  of  racial  barriers  went 

255 


256    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

down.  Not  till  then  was  he  able  to  enlist  the  sub 
stantial  help  so  greatly  needed.  Tuskegee  had  become 
a  common  point  of  distribution  of  Negro  force  and 
influence.  Its  graduates  were  demonstrating  in  trades, 
agriculture,  professions,  schools,  and  in  much  else, 
that  for  which  the  school  stood,  and  these  agencies 
combined  with  the  numerous  voluntary  strides  made 
in  different  regions  furnished  a  basis  not  alone  for 
race  elevation,  but  for  an  appeal  of  enlistment  of 
those  who  could  do  so,  to  aid  in  the  work  of  uplift 
ing. 

It  is  an  error  to  think  that  men  and  women  of  wealth 
fanatically  and  surreptitiously  poured  their  money  out 
to  Washington  in  order  to  contribute  to  the  school  of 
a  race  so  long  in  bondage,  coupled  with  the  purpose  of 
rebuking  the  South  by  the  elevation  of  the  Negro. 
Such  a  conclusion  is  not  only  most  illogical,  but  is 
entirely  foreign  to  the  motives  of  benefactors  in  the 
North,  every  dollar  of  whose  gifts  was  a  means  of  re 
lief  to  the  entire  South,  and  worthy  of  the  highest 
appreciation.  The  contributions  made  to  Tuskegee 
were  in  no  wise  more  helpful  to  one  race  than  to  the 
other.  Time  will  vindicate  not  only  these,  but  the 
outlay  of  such  great  organizations  as  the  American 
Baptist  Missionary  Society,  the  American  Missionary 
Association,  and  other  great  religious  bodies  that  were 
early  on  the  field  as  the  contributors  to  a  needed  civili 
zation.  This  is  the  spirit  with  which  the  most  en 
lightened  and  unbiased  sentiment  of  the  South  regards 
these  benefactions,  and  views  to  the  contrary  are  ex 
ceptional  alike  in  character  and  in  number. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  ENLISTMENT         257 

As  the  clearness  of  the  motive  of  Dr.  Washington 
became  increasingly  transparent  with  the  evolution  and 
practical  demonstration  of  his  plans,  means  came,  but 
not  without  continued  strain  of  effort  on  his  part.  To 
those  without,  it  meant  much  when  Dr.  Washington 
had  succeeded  in  winning  the  approbation  of  the  peo 
ple  of  the  South.  Not  till  he  had  established  a  sub 
stantial  footing  was  he  able  to  obtain  a  hearing  at 
the  tribunal  of  public  opinion.  He  alone  demonstrated 
the  only  method  of  effecting  race  adjustment.  Nor 
did  he,  by  any  means,  accomplish  all  that  needs  yet 
to  be  done,  but  he  did  succeed  in  dissolving  the  ad 
vanced  lines  of  difficulty,  without  which  nothing 
was  possible.  His  individual  wisdom  and  success 
brought  the  means  of  success  in  a  way  praised  by 
all. 

Those  whom  Washington  drew  to  his  support  were 
not  men  of  hasty  and  unwise  action,  nor  of  a  type  to 
be  merely  sentimentally  affected.  They  v  were  stern, 
Jbusiness  men.  The  investment  made  in  character  at 
TusKegee  and  elsewhere  was  one  as  seriously  and 
considerately  made  as  if  they  were  investing  in  stocks 
and  bonds.  Their  investments  were  for  returns,  the 
prospect  of  which  must  be  visible  in  dividends  of 
character  and  of  life,  else  not  a  penny  would  have 
been  contributed.  Investments  like  these,  therefore, 
made  by  men  like  these,  are  a  guarantee  of  the 
tremendous  worth  of  the  enterprise.  Nor  is  it  un 
becoming  or  unreasonable  to  suggest  and  even  to  urge, 
in  this  connection,  in  view  of  the  increasing  wealth  of 
the  South  and  the  increasing  value  to  both  races  of 


258    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

our  worthy  colored  institutions  of  learning,  that  these 
merit  the  timely  financial  aid  of  many  Southerners 
who  can  now  assist.  It  is  difficult  to  conceive  of  ob 
jects  more  worthy.  This  admits  of  application  alike 
to  the  Tuskegee  enterprise  and  to  numerous  other 
schools.  With  the  increased  standards  of  these  schools 
there  must  come  increased  value  of  common  weal. 

Among  the  earliest  philanthropists  to  recognize  the 
worth  of  Tuskegee  was  Mr.  A.  H.  Porter,  of  Brook 
lyn,  New  York,  already  named.  Later  came  a  host  of 
other  donors,  some  of  whom,  though  liberal  in  the 
bestowment  of  gifts,  withheld  their  names  and  insisted 
that  that  which  they  did  should  be  privately  applied 
without  themselves  being  known.  That  which  was 
subsequently  given  by  many  capitalists  was  judiciously 
withheld  from  undue  publication,  and  the  general 
result  is  known  only  in  the  continued  expansion  of  the 
great  school.  Knowledge  of  the  amounts  given  by 
men  like  Andrew  Carnegie,  John  D.  Rockefeller, 
Julius  Rosenwald,  and  other  generous  givers  is  not 
a  matter  of  serious  concern.  The  important  thing  is 
the  fact  that  men  like  these  became  seriously  enlisted 
in  the  great  work,  and  liberally  aided  in  its  support. 

When  Mr.  Carnegie's  attention  was  first  called  to 
the  work,  he  failed  to  see  sufficient  in  it  to  enlist  him, 
and  not  unlike  many  others,  withheld  his  gifts  till 
Washington  should  be  able  to  demonstrate  that  his 
enterprise  was  worthy  of  substantial  help.  Declining 
in  1890  to  contribute  to  the  school,  it  had  within  the 
next  ten  years  so  progressed  that  Dr,  Washington 
wrote  the  following  letter; 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  ENLISTMENT         259 

TUSKEGEE,  ALABAMA,  December  15,  igoo. 
MR.  ANDREW  CARNEGIE,  5  West  Fifty-first  Street,  New 
York. 

DEAR  SIR  : — Complying  with  the  request  which  you 
made  of  me  when  I  saw  you  at  your  residence  a  few 
days  ago,  I  now  submit  in  writing  an  appeal  for  a 
library  building  for  our  institution. 

We  have  1,100  students,  86  officers  and  instructors,  to 
gether  with  their  families,  and  about  200  colored  people 
living  near  the  school,  all  of  whom  would  make  use  of 
the  library  building. 

We  have  over  12,000  books,  periodicals,  etc.,  gifts  from 
our  friends,  but  we  have  no  suitable  place  for  them,  and 
we  have  no  suitable  reading-room. 

Our  graduates  go  to  work  in  every  section  of  the 
South,  and  whatever  knowledge  might  be  obtained  in 
the  library  would  serve  to  assist  in  the  elevation  of  the 
whole  Negro  race. 

Such  a  building  as  we  need  could  be  erected  for  about 
$20,000.  All  of  the  work  for  the  building,  such  as  brick- 
making,  brick-masonry,  carpentry,  blacksmithing,  etc., 
would  be  done  by  the  students.  The  money  which  you 
would  give  would  not  only  supply  the  building,  but  the 
erection  of  the  building  would  give  a  large  number  of 
students  an  opportunity  to  learn  the  building  trades,  and 
the  students  would  use  the  money  paid  to  them  to  keep 
themselves  in  school.  I  do  not  believe  that  a  similar 
amount  of  money  often  could  be  made  to  go  so  far  in 
uplifting  a  whole  race. 

If  you  wish  further  information  I  shall  be  glad  to 
furnish  it. 

Yours  truly, 
BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON,  Principal. 

In  response  to  this  came  the  following  reply: 

"  I  will  be  very  glad  to  pay  the  bills  for  the  library 
building  as  they  are  incurred,  to  the  extent  of  twenty 
thousand  dollars,  and  I  am  glad  of  this  opportunity  to 
show  the  interest  I  have  in  your  noble  work." 


260    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

While  generous  gifts  occasionally  came,  the  bulk  of 
the  basis  of  support  for  the  Tuskegee  Normal  and  In 
dustrial  Institute  came  from  innumerable  small  dona 
tions  derived  from  as  many  sources.  This  had  the 
double  meaning  of  wide  popularization  of  the  work 
and  of  much  intense  labor  on  the  part  of  the  inde 
fatigable  Principal.  It  is  worthy  of  record  that  the 
graduates  who  went  out  from  the  school  would  an 
nually  remit  from  their  slender  incomes  amounts 
ranging  from  twenty-five  cents  to  ten  dollars.  Nor 
should  the  significant  fact  be  overlooked  that  the 
legislature  of  Alabama,  through  the  efforts  of  Hon. 
M.  F.  Foster,  the  leading  representative  of  the  county 
in  which  Tuskegee  is  located,  increased  the  appropria 
tion  from  $2,000  to  $3,000,  and  afterward  raised  it 
to  $4,500.  Generous  aid  was  also  given  from  the 
John  F.  Slater  Fund,  of  which  Dr.  J.  L.  M.  Curry, 
an  Alabamian,  and  a  former  member  of  the  Confeder 
ate  Congress,  was  the  general  agent.  In  the  same  con 
nection  should  be  named  Mr.  Morris  K.  Jesup,  of 
New  York,  who  as  a  capitalist  became  interested  in 
the  Tuskegee  enterprise,  and  gave  unstintingly  of  his 
means  and  his  time  and  thought  to  the  work.  No 
friend  of  the  enterprise  has  been  more  loyal  and  unre 
mitting  in  his  efforts  than  Hon.  Seth  Low,  of  New 
York,  at  present  the  chairman  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of  the  Institute.  It  is  of  peculiar  significance  that 
two  Presidents  of  the  United  States,  Roosevelt  and 
Taft,  have  given  personal  time  and  labor  to  the  pro 
motion  of  the  same  great  interest.  With  increasing 
significance  the  interest  of  Southern  men  like  Messrs. 


^IP' 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  ENLISTMENT         261 

Belton  Gilreath,  of  Birmingham,  Alabama,  and  W. 
W.  Campbell,  of  Tuskegee,  has  for  years  been  zeal 
ously  enlisted  in  the  same  worthy  cause. 

The  object  here  is  not  so  much  to  undertake  to 
furnish  a  list  of  the  host  of  friends  and  supporters 
of  the  great  and  growing  school  at  Tuskegee,  as  to 
give  an  idea  of  the  rapid  increase  of  enlisted  interest 
in  its  behalf.  The  interest  of  those  and  of  hundreds 
of  others  that  might  be  worthily  named,  was  not  that 
which  was  merely  verbal  and  nominal,  but  that  which 
meant  labor  and  money  often  rendered,  and  cheerfully. 
The  dawn  was  gradually  brightening  into  the  fuller 
day. 

In  view  of  the  popular  misconception  of  the  ease 
with  which  the  resources  both  of  influence  and  of 
means  came  to  Booker  T.  Washington,  it  is  only  fair 
to  say  that  none  of  these  was  without  the  most  unre 
mitting  labor  on  his  part.  The  belief  that  his  was  a 
sphere  of  indolent  ease  and  comfort  is  wide  of  the 
fact.  As  opportunities  and  advantages  multiplied, 
whether  locally  at  Tuskegee,  or  generally  in  his  efforts 
in  behalf  of  his  race,  his  labor  was  correspondingly 
increased.  Skill  and  facility  were  acquired  by  him  as 
a  result  of  the  bitter  experience  of  years,  and  these  he 
was  unremitting  in  turning  to  great  account,  not  in 
one  direction  alone,  but  in  many.  The  work  which  he 
daily  did  for  years  was  enormous.  Experience  in  the 
rapid  management  of  detail  brought  him  to  the  point 
where  he  could  rapidly  dispatch  business,  but  it  was 
never  without  draft  on  his  resources  of  mind  and 
nerve.  Conceiving,  planning,  devising,  directing,  ad- 


262    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

vising,  by  pen  or  correspondence,  were  always  his. 
With  the  return  of  consciousness  every  morning  from 
sleep,  often  restless  from  perplexing  enigmas,  his  mind 
was  confronted  by  huge  tasks  which  he  alone  could 
perform.  He  had  pressed  the  work  of  his  life  to  the 
point  where  to  stop  meant  not  alone  a  standstill,  but 
stagnation.  He  had  a  prodigious  fund  of  physical 
strength  acquired  in  his  younger  years,  but  even  that 
was  now  being  sapped  under  the  strain  to  which  he 
was  subjected.  The  interests  of  millions  were  piled 
on  him  by  the  necessity  of  the  situation,  and,  Atlas- 
like,  he  had  all  to  bear.  His  peculiar  lot  afforded  the 
spectacle  of  one  silently  toiling,  thinking,  planning, 
by  day,  by  night,  pressed  by  encompassing  burdens 
which  bore  in  from  every  quarter,  and  yet  of  one 
quietly  and  uncomplainingly  enduring  while  he  cheer 
fully  labored  on. 

An  erroneous  view  of  Washington  was  that  of  a 
man  who  had  shrewdly  become  famous  by  taking  ad 
vantage  of  a  peculiar  situation,  delivering  an  occa 
sional  public  address,  drinking  in  applause,  writing 
now  and  then  an  article  for  a  magazine,  and  reposing 
at  ease  either  in  a  pleasant  home  at  Tuskegee,  or  else 
lounging  in  a  New  York  hotel.  The  truth  is  that  he 
was  a  sorely  pressed  man,  knowing  nothing  of  ease  or 
of  release  from  intense  labor,  but  vexed  by  problems 
of  divers  kinds  of  which  the  world  knew  nothing. 
He  was  eliciting,  combining,  and  directing  unceas 
ingly.  Possessed  of  a  cheerful  temperament  and  a 
spirit  that  was  optimistic,  these  qualities  were  in  con 
stant  conflict  with  the  wear  and  tear  of  body  and 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  ENLISTMENT         263 

of  mind.  He  never  complained  and  seemed  never  to 
think  that  recuperation  was  necessary,  and  but  for 
his  systematic  methods  of  work  he  would  have  sunk 
under  the  burden  which  he  bore.  The  marvel  is  how 
he  accomplished  so  much  and  did  it  so  well.  How  one 
could  find  time  to  write  books  as  he  did,  under  a 
constant  strain  of  keeping  in  advance  of  the  necessary 
demands  made  on  him,  it  is  difficult  to  see.  That 
which  the  public  saw  of  him  was  the  least  of  the 
features  of  his  life. 

His  correspondence  became  prodigious.  Whether  in 
New  York  or  at  Tuskegee,  he  was  daily  inundated  with 
letters,  while  at  either  end  during  his  absence  they 
would  accumulate  in  vast  heaps.  Miscellaneous  in 
formation  was  sought  by  members  of  both  races, 
advice  solicited  by  farmers,  mechanics,  bankers,  mer 
chants,  and  educators,  and  these  always  received  re 
spectful  answers,  and  as  promptly  as  possible,  while 
he  must  at  the  same  time  be  managing  the  affairs  of  his 
great  school  from  which  he  received  a  detailed  daily 
report  during  his  absence.  He  must  all  along  be  mind 
ful  not  only  for  the  present  needs  of  the  school,  but 
must  make  due  provision  for  its  advancement  as  it 
was  constantly  expanding.  He  had  a  corps  of  trained 
and  efficient  helpers,  but  their  functions  were  circum 
scribed,  since  he  must  be  responsible  for  the  things 
said  and  done.  By  reason  of  the  conditions  of  which 
he  was  the  creator,  with  respect  to  the  guidance  of  the 
complicated  affairs  of  his  people,  who  were  them 
selves  hindered  and  hampered,  his  immediate  future 
was  always  filled  with  difficulties  to  be  solved. 


264    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

Besides  all  this,  there  were  numerous  minor  ques 
tions  that  constantly  came  before  him  which  needed 
prompt  answers.  At  one  time  a  musician  of  some 
pretension  lingered  about  Tuskegee  with  a  desire  to 
render  some  musical  performances,  and  eagerly  sought 
to  gain  the  consent  of  Dr.  Washington  to  give  an 
entertainment  at  the  Institute,  but  the  permission  was 
kindly  but  firmly  withheld.  Because  of  his  failure, 
he  published  a  booklet  in  which  he  proposed  to  make 
certain  exposures  of  the  conduct  of  the  faculty  and 
students  of  the  institution,  which  was  described  as 
viciously  immoral,  while  he  sought  to  inflame  race 
passion  by  the  strongest  appeals  possible.  He  gave 
as  wide  circulation  to  his  little  book  as  possible,  but 
it  fell  still-born.  In  no  way  was  attention  given  it 
by  Dr.  Washington  or  any  other,  and  its  failure  was 
complete.  Washington's  invariable  habit  was  to  give 
no  heed  to  rumors  or  reports,  and  he  would  never  men 
tion  them  unless  asked  about  them  by  a  friend. 

In  his  perpetual  labors  he  had  to  do  with  the  lowli 
est  as  well  as  with  the  leaders  of  the  races;  he  had  to 
deal  with  both  races  as  an  advocate  for  the  things  due 
his  people,  and  his  position  was  often  a  delicate  one. 
He  had  also  to  do  with  both  sections,  South  and 
North,  and  that  he  should  have  been  able  in  the  most 
turbulent  period  of  our  national  history,  so  effectually 
to  escape  blundering,  was  exceedingly  creditable  to 
his  wisdom.  That,  again,  he  should  have  so  thor 
oughly  won  the  confidence  of  all  classes,  save  that 
of  the  invidious,  is  most  astonishing.  All  efforts  made 
to  thwart  him  were  futile.  He  established  a  reputa- 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  ENLISTMENT         265 

tion  for  integrity  that  made  him  practically  invulner 
able  to  the  assaults  of  his  enemies,  and  in  his  long 
career  succeeded  in  enlisting  the  best  people  of  the 
land  in  his  behalf  personally,  and  in  behalf  of  the 
great  cause  which  he  fostered. 

Exceedingly  desirous  for  the  elevation  of  his  people, 
he  pleaded  for  patience  and  consideration  and  was 
intent  on  proving  that  the  Negro  is 

" as  much  a  man 

As  moves  the  throng  among; 
As  much  a  part  of  the  great  plan 
With  which  creation's  dawn  began 

As  any  of  the  throng." 

He  sought  unceasingly  to  make  a  place  for  his  peo 
ple  in  American  life.  For  the  Negro  to  be  always 
dependable  on  another  race  would  make  him  despicable. 
Honorable  industry  would  lead  to  independence.  In 
dustrial  ability  would  make  the  race  an  indispensable 
adjunct  to  our  civilization,  and  this  he  impressed  on 
all  his  race  organizations,  while  he  sought  to  turn  his 
people  away  from  the  fancied  idea  of  bounding  up 
ward  by  a  single  leap  to  the  highest  rung  of  the 
ladder.  The  South  was  gradually  returning  to  its  own 
under  new  conditions,  and  he  would  have  the  colored 
race  become  one  of  the  chief  factors  in  the  progress 
made,  and  thereby  become  established  on  a  basis  th< 
worth  of  which  could  not  be  questioned.  In  other 
words,  he  wished  his  race  to  be  identified  with  the 
rehabilitation  of  the  South,  that  the  Negro  might  ever 
afterward  become  an  important  part  of  the  section. 


266    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

To  him  it  was  a  golden  opportunity  for  the  Negro 
race,  and  one  that  it  could  not  afford  to  slight. 

As  he  viewed  it,  the  Negro  could  thus  establish  for 
all  time  a  base  of  worth  whence  could  be  drawn  sup 
plies.  In  a  sphere  like  this  the  Negro  was  without 
competition.  Should  he  fail,  the  foreigner  would  be 
imported,  and  the  Negro  would  be  jostled  aside  in  his 
helplessness.  The  colored  man  could  be  educated,  and 
should  be,  but  alongside  his  mental  training  he  would 
have  him  an  industrial  factor;  for,  as  he  reasoned, 
what  use  would  he  have  for  an  education  entirely 
classical,  or  literary,  if  he  had  only  this?  Washing 
ton  would  have  the  Negro  possessed  of  a  force  indis 
pensable  and  always  in  demand.  This  would  make  him 
independent,  while  without  it,  he  would  be  the  most 
dependent  of  men,  no  matter  what  his  mental  equip 
ment  might  be.  If  there  were  denials  of  the  rights 
of  the  colored  race,  of  justice,  protection,  security 
of  property,  and  political  privileges,  even  while  this 
was  being  demonstrated,  what  would  be  the  condition 
of  the  man  of  color  if  his  ability  was  confined  to  his 
mind?  On  the  other  hand,  as  the  worth  of  the  race 
came  more  and  more  to  be  recognized,  there  would 
come  about  consideration  and  good-will,  respect  and 
neighborliness,  and  an  identity  of  interest  of  both 
races,  that  would  enable  the  colored  man  to  win  in  the 
long  run.  So  thoroughly  was  he  possessed  of  this 
idea  that  he  declined  to  abandon  it  to  the  close  of  his 
life.  Others  of  his  race  did  not  acquiesce  in  this  view, 
and  insisted  that  it  placed  the  Negro  in  a  menial  at 
titude;  but  while  he  had  a  practical  demonstration  of 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  ENLISTMENT         267 

his  view,  there  was  left  to  others  no  more  than  theory. 
In  the  upward  movement  of  the  race,  despite  the  ob 
structions  which  still  in  part  remain,  the  public  must 
decide  how  nearly  his  conception  has  been  equaled, 
and  how  far  his  course  and  counsel  have  been  vindi 
cated. 


XX 

TO  EUROPE 

FOR  eighteen  years  Dr.  Washington  had  been 
under  constant  strain.  He  was  possessed  of  a 
virile  constitution,  and  his  toughness  of  fiber 
and  equableness  of  temperament  had  served  to  sus 
tain  him  through  the  tension  of  years.  He  never 
mentioned  resting,  because  it  seems  not  to  have  oc 
curred  to  him  that  it  was  his  duty  to  recuperate.  He 
was  so  fastened  in  a  combination  of  circumstances 
that  every  waking  hour  had  its  appointed  task.  Not 
only  did  he  not  find  time  for  repose  or  recuperation 
of  his  vital  forces,  but  the  process  of  his  labor  af 
forded  promise  of  increased  taxation  of  strength  as 
new  demands  were  constantly  arising  along  the  path 
of  his  projected  plans.  His  friends  observed  that  he 
was  yielding  to  the  incessant  burdens  which  he  uncom 
plainingly  bore,  and  began  to  devise  means  for  his 
relief.  To  himself  there  was  no  end  of  the  tasks  that 
were  accumulating  constantly.  With  increasing  gait 
he  had  been  going  the  round  of  the  treadmill  for 
years  together. 

His  normal  condition  had  become  one  of  fatigue, 
of  the  gravity  of  which  he  was  not  aware.  His 
friends  had  noticed  a  languor  in  his  eye,  a  f orlornness 
of  expression,  and  a  disposition  to  preserve  a  quietness 


TO  EUROPE  269 

in  company,  whereas  before  he  had  been  quick  of 
speech  and  alert  in  action.  He  was  evidently  a  very 
tired  man,  but  buoyed  by  a  prospect  of  advancement 
at  all  times,  the  fact  had  escaped  his  detection. 

By  preconcerted  action  on  the  part  of  a  number 
of  his  friends  in  Boston,  he  was  invited  to  that  city,  in 
the  early  part  of  1899,  to  attend  a  meeting,  the  osten 
sible  purpose  of  which  was  that  of  raising  funds  for 
his  cherished  school  at  Tuskegee.  It  was  well  known 
that  the  announcement  of  a  purpose  like  that  would 
lure  him  to  Boston,  and  this  was  the  plan  hit  upon  to 
induce  him  to  go.  An  attractive  program  was  ar 
ranged,  two  other  colored  men  of  note  were  to  speak, 
and  the  meeting  was  to  be  presided  over  by  Bishop 
William  Lawrence,  of  Massachusetts.  He  was  assured 
that  the  meeting  would  mean  much  for  Tuskegee,  and 
no  matter  what  the  nature  of  his  engagements  was, 
he  must  shape  his  plans  to  be  present  and  to  speak. 
The  other  colored  men  to  be  present  were  the  poet, 
Dunbar,  who  was  to  read  some  of  his  selections,  and 
Professor  W.  E.  B.  Du  Bois,  both  of  whom  were  to 
be  followed  by  Professor  Washington,  whose  address 
was  to  be  the  chief  feature  of  the  occasion. 

A  meeting  so  unexpected  to  Washington,  and  so 
gratifying,  withal,  he  promptly  agreed  to  attend.  He 
husbanded  his  strength  to  the  utmost,  as  he  felt  how 
much  depended  on  a  meeting  involving  so  much  for 
the  school.  There  was  an  evident  effort  on  his  part 
to  appear  at  his  best  in  his  speech,  which  was  well 
received  and  gratifyingly  responded  to  financially,  but 
he  was  much  exhausted  when  it  was  over,  He  was 


270    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

about  to  leave  the  hall  and  hasten  back  to  Tuskegee, 
when  he  was  accosted  by  some  ladies  and  asked  how  he 
would  like  to  take  a  trip  to  Europe.  Presuming  that 
this  was  simply  a  passing  question,  he  merely  remarked 
that  it  was  one  of  the  dreams  of  his  life,  but  that  he 
was  too  busy  a  man  to  hope  that  it  would  ever  be 
realized. 

He  was  then  told  that  a  liberal  purse  had  been  made 
up  for  him  and  Mrs.  Washington,  that  they  might  go 
abroad  the  following  summer,  and  that  nothing  was 
left  but  for  him  to  consent.  He  explained  that  it  would 
occasion  so  great  a  gap  in  his  plans  that  while  he  was 
grateful  for  the  offer,  he  could  not  see  how  he  could 
possibly  accept.  He  placed  before  them  the  enormous 
work  that  had  to  be  done  during  the  summer,  stating 
that  during  that  season  he  must  raise  the  funds  neces 
sary  for  the  next  session.  But  he  was  told  that  all 
this  had  been  considered,  that  every  feature  of  his 
work  was  in  contemplation,  and  all  that  was  needed 
was  his  consent  to  go.  This  was  indeed  a  relief  as  well 
as  a  great  surprise,  and  after  ascertaining  how  minute 
the  plans  of  caring  for  his  work  were,  he  consented. 
He  could  now  return  to  Tuskegee  with  a  buoyant 
heart,  to  make  preparation  to  sail  in  the  early  summer 
and  thus  obtain  a  much-needed  rest.  The  session  of 
the  school  over,  he  went  to  New  York  ready  to  sail 
at  the  appointed  time.  According  to  the  original  plan, 
his  wife  accompanied  him,  as  she  had  shared  with  him 
his  arduous  work  and  care. 

Until  now  practically  nothing  has  been  said  about 
the  home  life  of  Dr,  Washington.  He  had  been  a 


TO  EUROPE  271 

man  not  only  of  many  burdens  and  cares,  as  we  have 
abundantly  seen,  but  a  man  of  sorrow.  He  had  lost 
two  wives,  and  was  now  married  to  a  third.  Some 
what  more  than  a  year  after  going  to  Tuskegee,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Fannie  N.  Smith,  of  Maiden, 
West  Virginia.  His  wife  was  a  graduate  of  Hamp 
ton,  and  a  most  valuable  ally  did  she  prove  to  him  in 
his  early  struggles  at  Tuskegee.  She  died  within  two 
years  after  their  marriage,  and  in  1885  he  was  mar 
ried  to  Miss  Olivia  Davidson,  who  did  so  much  to 
get  the  school  on  its  feet.  She  was  invaluable  to  him 
as  a  constant  helper,  and  was  the  most  successful 
solicitor  of  funds  he  had  ever  had.  She  died  in  1889. 
In  1893  ne  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  J.  Murray, 
who  survives  him.  A  graduate  from  Fisk  University, 
she  became  first  a  teacher  at  Tuskegee,  and,  later,  lady 
principal  of  the  school,  which  position  she  was  holding 
at  the  time  of  the  marriage.  It  was  she  who  was  now 
to  accompany  him  to  Europe. 

May  10,  1899,  found  a  large  party  at  the  pier  at 
Hoboken,  ready  to  sail  on  the  Friesland,  of  the  Red 
Star  Line.  Mr.  Francis  J.  Garrison  had  assumed  the 
task  of  making  all  the  arrangements,  the  tickets  were 
in  hand,  and  the  room  provided.  Numerous  friends 
from  New  England  and  elsewhere  had  gone  to  New 
York  to  see  the  party  off.  Washington  had  never  been 
on  an  ocean  steamer.  To  him  it  was  a  novelty,  and  to 
his  practical  mind  nothing  was  more  interesting  than 
to  go  over  the  steamer,  learn  all  its  parts  and  appoint 
ments,  and  study  its  system  and  method.  But  he 
found  it  difficult  to  rid  his  mind  of  care.  He  could  not 


272    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

help  falling  now  and  then  into  a  pensive  mood  and 
wondering  if,  after  all,  it  was  the  wisest  thing  to  do. 
Might  not  a  break  come  somewhere  in  his  plans  of 
work?  Could  others  do  as  he  would  in  certain  con 
tingencies  ?  Might  not  his  own  people  misunderstand 
the  trip,  and,  to  use  a  term  of  their  own  coining,  regard 
him  as  "  uppity  "  ?  Would  it  not  have  the  effect  of 
alienating  his  race  somewhat  from  him?  Still  he  felt 
that  the  cause  was  in  hands  as  safe  as  his,  and  he 
could  not  long  survive  the  strain  to  which  he  was  now 
subjected  unless  he  should  unbend.  So  dismissing  all 
misgivings  he  would  surrender  himself  to  rest,  and 
get  the  most  out  of  the  opportunity.  The  conditions 
that  greeted  him  on  the  steamer  gave  an  earnest  of 
the  pleasure  that  awaited  him.  The  crew  was  most 
cordial,  the  captain  especially  kind  in  his  greeting, 
and  the  Southerners,  of  whom  there  were  a  number 
on  board,  were  as  cordial  and  polite  as  were  any 
others.  There  was  no  reason  why  he  should  not  have 
a  pleasant  voyage.  He  was  already  a  new  man.  He 
felt  the  relief  of  the  lifting  of  a  world-burden. 

The  first  morning  after  leaving  New  York,  Dr. 
Washington  felt  an  unusual  sense  of  drowsiness.  It 
was  nature  reasserting  itself.  He  had  so  long  been 
under  intense  tension  that  he  was  not  aware  but  that 
that  condition  was  a  normal  one.  Now  where  care 
could  not  reach  him,  relieved  of  the  pressure  of  daily 
drudgery,  he  could  do  nothing  else  than  rest.  Yield 
ing  to  the  suggestion  of  physical  infirmity  he  slept, 
and  averaged  fifteen  hours  of  sleep  out  of  the  twenty- 
four  during  the  ten  days'  passage  from  New  York  to 


TO  EUROPE  273 

Antwerp.  Till  now  he  had  not  discovered  how  very 
tired  he  was.  With  the  soothing  thought  that  he  had 
no  cares,  no  callers,  no  letters  to  dictate  that  day — • 
all  was  rest,  and  he  slept. 

Consequently  when  Antwerp  was  reached  on  May 
20,  he  was  a  new  man.  When  he  stepped  off  the 
steamer,  he  felt  like  an  athlete.  Then  began  diver 
sion  from  the  novelty  of  scenes  such  as  he  had  never 
before  witnessed.  The  peculiar  customs  of  the  Bel 
gians,  the  gayly-dressed  people  in  the  park,  whom  he 
could  watch  from  his  window  in  the  hotel,  the  milk- 
women  with  their  braces  of  dogs  hitched  to  tiny 
carts  on  which  were  large,  bright  cans  of  milk,  a 
single  horse  hitched  to  one  side  of  a  double  wagon; 
men,  women,  and  girls  selling  flowers,  and  making  the 
air  strident  with  their  outcries,  the  go-easy  saunter  of 
the  throngs  along  the  streets,  about  the  public  places, 
and  in  the  gardens  and  parks — all  was  a  bright  and 
animating  scene  of  novelty. 

After  a  day  or  so  came  a  trip  to  Holland.  The 
novelty  of  this  trip  lay  in  the  fact  that  most  of  the 
way  the  party  was  to  go  on  a  canal-boat.  The  old 
boat  moved  sluggishly  along  the  current,  never  the 
least  in  a  hurry,  and  Washington  was  all  agog  to 
catch  impressions.  To  his  practical  thoughts  there 
was  much  in  the  fact  that  the  Hollanders  left  not  a 
foot  of  soil  untilled.  Down  to  the  water's  edge,  in 
every  nook  and  cranny,  the  earth  was  made  to  yield 
her  increase.  Always  economical  from  necessity,  here 
was  a  fresh  lesson  to  the  practical  economist.  The 
superior  soil  of  the  Netherlands,  the  bright  green 


274    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

pastures  freckled  over  with  the  beautiful  Holstein 
cattle,  the  sheep  lazily  grazing  in  the  meadows  and 
scarcely  raising  their  heads  to  give  a  casual  wooden 
stare  at  the  boat,  all  suggested  repose  to  the  man  from 
bustling  America.  Yet  the  suggestions  made  impres 
sions  of  value  to  a  practical  mind.  At  Rotterdam  with 
its  peculiar  shipping  methods  were  yet  other  novelties, 
while  at  The  Hague,  where  a  peace  session  was  being 
held,  he  was  greeted  by  the  distinguished  American 
representatives  who  showed  the  pioneer  race-uplifter 
of  their  country  marked  consideration. 

Then  came  Belgium  again,  quiet  old  Brussels,  with 
its  manufactories  of  carpets  and  lace,  its  fine  galleries 
of  art,  its  spacious  royal  grounds,  its  historic  associa 
tions,  its  peculiar  architecture;  and  Waterloo,  a  dozen 
miles  away,  with  its  famous  battlefield  and  its  monu 
ment  of  stone  surmounted  with  the  lion  holding  in  its 
uplifted  paw  a  miniature  globe,  its  once  bloody  ground 
now  covered  with  the  wheat  fields  of  peace. 

Thence  to  France,  with  its  grain  waving  in  vernal 
splendor,  and  finally  to  Paris,  gay,  thoughtless,  and 
beautiful  Paris,  where  he  lingered  for  weeks  a  gazer 
at  its  beauties  of  art,  and  the  recipient  of  many  dis 
tinguished  expressions.  In  Paris  he  met  many  dis 
tinguished  Americans,  among  who  was  ex-President 
Harrison.  General  Horace  Porter,  American  ambas 
sador,  and  Archbishop  Ireland  were  also  there  to  share 
in  the  cordial  greetings  to  the  great  Negro  leader. 

His  appearance  in  the  French  capital  became  known, 
and  he  was  invited  to  a  banquet,  as  an  honorary 
guest,  at  the  University  Club.  In  a  speech  at  the 


TO  EUROPE  275 

banquet  General  Harrison  made  special  allusion  to 
the  distinguished  colored  educator  and  his  phenomenal 
achievements  at  Tuskegee,  and  amidst  round  on  round 
of  applause  and  greeting  Washington  responded.  A 
circuit  of  social  functions  followed,  and  on  the  first 
Sunday  after  his  arrival,  Washington  was  invited  to 
attend  the  American  chapel,  and  address  the  audience 
with  Generals  Harrison  and  Porter. 

Naturally,  nothing  in  Paris  so  interested  him  as  the 
famous  American  colored  painter,  Henry  O.  Tanner, 
a  native  of  Philadelphia,  whose  paintings  had  been 
bought  by  the  French  government.  When  he  advised 
certain  white  friends  to  see  these  artistic  triumphs,  he 
found  it  difficult  to  compel  the  belief  that  an  American 
Negro  was  among  the  world's  greatest  artists,  a  fact 
to  which  France  attested  by  buying  his  paintings 
purely  on  their  merit  as  expressions  of  art.  As  he 
gazed  with  pride  on  these  expressions  of  artistic 
beauty,  he  recalled  the  principle  which  he  had  incul 
cated  from  the  beginning  at  Tuskegee — that  anyone, 
no  matter  what  his  color  be,  will  receive  recognition 
and  reward  in  proportion  to  performance.  To  .do  a 
thing  better  than  any  other  is  to  forestall  competition. 
When  the  French  government  was  seeking  the  best 
on  the  market,  the  best  was  taken,  and  the  others  left. 
Tanner's  proved  to  be  the  best,  and  no  one  stopped  to 
ask  the  color  of  the  painter.  It  was  the  painting  that 
was  sought,  the  highest  expression  of  art,  and  as  such 
Henry  Tanner's  were  bought  and  hung  on  the  historic 
walls  of  the  Luxembourg  Palace. 

During  the  stay  of  several  weeks  in  Paris,  Wash- 


276    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

ington  participated  in  several  distinguished  social 
functions,  including  a  brilliant  reception  given  by  Am 
bassador  Porter,  who  made  a  formal  call  on  Wash 
ington  to  invite  him  to  be  present.  Here  he  met  Chief 
Justice  Fuller,  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  and  Mr.  Justice  Harlan,  besides  other  eminent 
Americans. 

Every  phase  of  French  life  was  a  study  to  the  great 
American  Negro.  The  frivolity  of  Paris  life,  its  go- 
lucky  population,  the  utter  lack  of  seriousness  in  the 
affairs  of  life,  its  splendid  wealth  and  its  poverty, 
its  gorgeous  palaces  and  its  haunts  of  squalor,  its 
ease  and  its  misery,  its  museums  of  art  and  its  shock 
ing  exhibitions  of  immorality,  its  nobles  with  time 
hanging  heavily  on  their  hands  and  its  poor  with  their 
heavy  burdens — life  here  with  its  extremes  and  in 
equalities  took  his  thoughts  constantly  back  to  his  own 
people  in  the  distant  American  states.  He  was  com 
paring  the  conditions  about  him  in  Paris  with  the 
growing  buoyancy  and  hopefulness  of  his  own  people, 
and  in  his  heart  he  decided  he  would  rather  be  an 
American  Negro  than  a  Frenchman.  His  responsive 
and  receptive  mind  was  storing  away  lessons  of  value. 

London  came  next — merry  England — and  then  home, 
which  he  was  beginning  to  long  once  more  to  see. 
London  with  its  staid  greatness  and  grandeur,  its  wind 
ing  streets  and  capacious  circuses  where  many  streets 
converged,  its  ceaseless  throb  of  energy,  its  places  of 
historic  renown,  its  records,  its  monuments  and  mu 
seums,  its  great  libraries  and  hoary  institutions,  its 
perpetual  yet  placid  flow  of  life,  so  different  from 


TO  EUROPE  277 

effervescent  Paris — what  a  great  volume  of  study  was 
old  London! 

The  gifted  and  courtly  Choate  was  the  American 
minister  to  the  Court  of  St.  James,  and  he  let  pass  no 
opportunity  to  make  pleasant  the  stay  of  the  repre 
sentative  of  a  great  race.  He  arranged  for  Prin 
cipal  Washington  to  address  a  public  meeting  at  Essex 
Hall,  at  which  Mr.  Choate  presided.  A  vast  concourse 
of  Londoners  eager  with  curiosity  to  see  so  dis 
tinguished  a  Negro,  and  to  hear  him  speak,  thronged 
the  immense  hall.  The  introduction  by  Mr.  Choate 
was  in  his  happiest  and  most  inspiring  vein,  and 
Washington  was  equally  happy  in  his  address.  Among 
the  auditors  were  many  of  England's  most  eminent 
men,  including  the  Honorable  James  Bryce.  As  a 
result  of  the  occasion,  invitations  poured  in  on  Wash 
ington  to  address  different  institutions,  to  have  re 
sponded  to  even  a  fraction  of  which  would  have 
prostrated  him  anew.  He  spoke  several  times,  but 
was  forced  to  limit  his  acceptance  of  invitations. 

Mr.  Choate  gave  the  distinguished  American  a  re 
ception  where  he  met  for  the  first  time  the  eminent 
humorist,  Mark  Twain.  The  greatest  function  at 
tended  was  that  of  a  tea  given  by  Queen  Victoria  at 
Windsor  Castle,  where  Washington  met  many  other 
eminent  Americans.  In  the  House  of  Commons  he 
conversed  with  Sir  Henry  Stanley,  and  was  prepared 
thereby  to  advise  his  people  in  America  that  the  United 
States,  with  all  its  disadvantages  to  the  race,  was 
vastly  preferable  to  migration  to  Africa.  With  Mrs. 
Washington  he  became  guest  in  the  mansions  of  lords 


278    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

and  ladies,  dukes  and  duchesses,  and  wealthy  English 
men  in  their  manors.  The  chief  cities  were  visited, 
and  the  rural  regions,  as  well.  In  England  Wash 
ington  found  the  highest  aspect  of  real  life  he  had 
ever  witnessed.  He  was  not  so  captivated  by  the 
sheen  and  glitter  of  mansion  and  castle  as  by  the  coun 
try  life  of  the  English.  The  precise  adjustment  of 
affairs  the  most  trifling,  scientifically  and  patiently 
arranged  so  that  everything  had  a  place  and  one  knew 
where  to  find  it  when  wanted,  the  time  which  the  Eng 
lish  took  to  do  everything  solidly  and  well,  without 
haste  or  bustle,  clatter  or  confusion,  greatly  pleased 
him.  He  was  delighted  with  the  hazy  landscapes, 
the  care  of  the  soil  to  prevent  its  washing,  the  fields 
rolled  and  combed  till  they  appeared  to  be  finished  with 
a  pencil  instead  of  a  plow,  the  undulating  stretches  of 
grassy  meadows,  green  and  luxuriant,  over  which 
browsed  the  herds  of  sleek  cattle,  and  sheep  with 
their  heavy  coats  of  wool,  the  banks  of  streams  lined 
with  solid  masonry,  so  the  waters  could  not  wear 
away  the  fields,  the  care  of  domestic  animals  in  order 
to  the  return  of  superior  dividends  in  service,  and  the 
arrangement  of  the  homes  of  England,  built  with  re 
spect  to  comfort  rather  than  of  architectural  beauty — 
these  thoughts  were  absorbed  to  be  taken  with  all  their 
suggestiveness  of  value  back  to  Tuskegee. 

While  Washington  would  not  agree  with  Alfieri  that 
Italy  and  England  are  the  only  countries  worth  liv 
ing  in,  he  was  delighted  with  the  rigid  English  meth 
ods  of  life.  Plastic  and  receptive  as  his  mind  was, 
always  on  the  outlook  for  suggestions  of  the  things 


TO  EUROPE  279 

that  help,  there  came  instinctively  the  association  of 
all  that  was  now  passing  under  review  with  that  which 
was  taking  place  in  the  little,  distant,  evolutionary 
center  at  Tuskegee.  While  not  indifferent  to  the  kind 
ness  and  courtesy  extended  by  the  nobility  of  Eng 
land,  for  these  were  not  without  meaning  to  him  as  a 
representative  of  his  race,  yet  that  which  he  could 
practically  accumulate  and  assimilate  for  the  good  of 
his  people  was  of  immensely  more  value  than  recep 
tions,  dinners,  and  public  addresses.  He  was  not  a 
man  to  be  dazzled  by  the  bedizened  trappings  and 
splendors  of  the  court  to  the  obliviousness  of  the 
severely  practical,  and  as  the  time  came  for  him 
to  turn  again  homeward  he  took  with  him  the  value 
of  varied  observation  enjoyed,  to  turn  it  to  gain  when 
he  reached  the  scene  of  his  labor. 

Thus  went  by  restfully,  agreeably,  profitably,  the 
respite  of  three  months  in  distant  lands.  Without  the 
least  regret  or  reluctance  he  now  turned  toward 
America  and  his  own  cherished  Tuskegee.  As  a  ves 
sel  laden  with  rich  argosies  from  a  distant  port,  he 
was  bearing  back  to  his  ordinary  work  the  golden 
seeds  of  travel  to  be  sown  into  the  minds  and  char 
acters  of  a  youthful  generation  of  a  yet  comparatively 
obscure  race  of  people,  but  one  the  power  and  prog 
ress  of  which  had  already  come  to  claim  the  attention 
of  the  world. 

The  return  trip  was  distinguished  by  one  incident 
that  is  worthy  of  mention.  As  Professor  Washing 
ton  sat  reading  the  "Life  of  Frederick  Douglass," 
and  just  as  he  had  finished  reading  an  account  of  the 


280    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

mistreatment  accorded  him  on  a  certain  occasion  when 
Douglas  was  returning  home  from  Europe,  a  party  of 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  a  self-constituted  committee, 
came  in  a  body  into  the  library,  and  requested  that  he 
would  consent  to  deliver  that  evening  an  address  to  the 
assembled  passengers.  He  gladly  accepted  the  invita 
tion,  and  made  the  address,  a  number  of  Southerners 
being  present,  and  all  greeted  his  remarks  with  re 
peated  expressions  of  applause.  Governor  Benjamin 
B.  Odell,  of  New  York,  presided  at  the  meeting,  and 
after  the  delivery  of  the  address  a  handsome  sum  was 
raised  for  the  school  at  Tuskegee.  Without  respect 
to  section  the  party  gathered  about  Professor  Wash 
ington  after  the  speech,  and  offered  their  congratula 
tions.  He  saw  in  this  the  great  change  wrought  in 
public  sentiment  within  the  span  of  a  few  years.  If 
the  passengers  on  a  steamer  in  former  years  had 
meted  out  mistreatment  to  Douglass,  a  miscellaneous 
party  of  both  Northerners  and  Southerners  now 
showed  the  most  marked  distinction  to  Washington. 
As  he  construed  it,  the  difference  lay  not  between  the 
two  men,  but  between  the  times.  The  incident  gave 
fresh  elasticity  to  his  spirit  of  hopefulness  as  he  viewed 
the  future. 


BOOKER    T.    WASHINGTON 
Taken   During  a   Late  Visit  to   New  York 


XXI 

LAST  YEARS 

WE  have  now  come  to  the  last  period  of  the 
career  of  this  remarkable  man.  In  the 
preceding  chapters  the  events  of  his  life 
have  been  followed  with  sufficient  explicitness  of 
detail  to  obviate  the  necessity  of  recalling  anything 
relating  to  his  life  from  the  cabin  of  the  slave  to  the 
position  of  distinction  which  he  came  to  hold  in  the 
nation  and  in  the  world,  for  his  reputation  had  become 
international.  He  occupied  as  high  a  niche  as  was 
possible  for  a  Negro  in  the  American  states.  His 
ability  was  universally  recognized  and  he  was  honored 
for  his  integrity  and  wisdom.  The  name  of  no  Amer 
ican  was  more  familiar  to  the  popular  ear  than  was 
his.  As  before  shown  he  was  an  incessant  laborer, 
his  toil  keeping  pace  with  the  expansion  of  his  work 
for  his  cherished  school  at  Tuskegee,  in  particular,  and 
for  the  colored  race  in  general.  His  steps  had  now 
become  long  strides,  and  much  that  he  had  in  former 
years  done,  was  now  largely  done  through  others. 
Not  that  this  released  his  personal  touch  and  profound 
daily  concern,  but  these  were  now  exercised  in  a  dif 
ferent  and  in  a  more  efficacious  way.  The  amount  of 
labor  rendered  by  him  was  prodigious. 

But  slight  allusion  has  been  made  to  his  distinctive 
281 


282    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

literary  work,  which  was  within  itself  immense,  and 
yet  this  was  done  at  snatches  of  time  when  he  had  to 
make  fresh  drafts  on  his  strength  after  having 
dispatched  his  other  work.  His  literary  productions 
were  eagerly  sought  and  read  by  both  races.  His 
principal  works  are,  "  The  Future  of  the  Negro," 
"Up  From  Slavery"  (an  autobiography),  "The 
Story  of  the  Negro"  (in  two  volumes),  "Working 
with  the  Hands,"  "  Character  Building,"  "  The  Negro 
in  Business,"  "  My  Larger  Education,"  and  "  The 
Man  Farthest  Down."  Besides,  he  wrote  many  es 
says,  booklets,  and  articles  for  the  leading  magazines. 
Neither  in  speech  nor  with  pen  did  he  attempt  the 
ornate,  but  his  diction  is  as  clear  as  amber,  and  is 
fascinating  in  its  simplicity. 

His  closing  years  became  so  general  in  the  service 
rendered  that  the  story  of  his  career  during  this  last 
period  will  have  to  be  equally  so.  More  than  any 
other  he  had  become  the  oracle  of  his  race.  His 
piquant  proverbs  were  quoted  by  all  alike,  and  they 
abide  as  a  part  of  the  current  and  proverbial  thought 
of  the  South.  On  all  questions  relative  to  the  rela 
tions  between  the  races,  he  was  consulted  as  authority. 

This  recalls  the  timely  service  rendered  by  him 
in  connection  with  the  Atlanta  riots  which  took  place 
in  September  of  1906.  Rumors  of  insults  and  as 
saults  on  white  women  had  reached  the  city  and  it 
was  greatly  stirred;  in  consequence,  violence  broke 
out  indiscriminately  against  the  Negro  population,  to 
quell  which  the  state  troops  were  ordered  out.  A 
race  war  seemed  inevitable.  The  better  and  wiser  ele- 


LAST  YEARS  283 

ments  of  both  races  came  together,  and  it  was  deemed 
best  to  summon  Dr.  Washington  to  Atlanta  to  assist 
in  the  restoration  of  order.  He  was  never  in  better 
position  to  serve  both  races,  and  was  one  of  the  chief 
contributors  to  the  restoration  of  order  at  that  crisis. 
His  service  was  patriotic  and  timely  in  behalf  of  both 
races. 

Demand  was  frequently  made  on  his  time  for  ad 
dresses  before  leading  institutions  of  learning,  clubs, 
and  different  organizations.  If  he  had  accepted  a- 
tithe  of  them,  there  would  have  been  left  to  him  but 
a  slight  margin  of  time.  His  office  at  Tuskegee  was 
besieged  by  callers  who  visited  the  school  as  one  of 
the  attractions  of  a  trip  through  that  part  of  the 
South,  and  having  seen  the  fine  buildings  on  the  large 
grounds  of  the  Institute,  and  the  model  farms  and 
ranches  adjacent,  naturally  wished  to  meet  the  fa 
mous  founder. 

Not  far  from  Tuskegee  was  Auburn,  the  location  of 
the  Alabama  Polytechnic  Institute,  between  which 
school  and  the  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial  In 
stitute  were  the  most  cordial  relations;  it  became  a 
custom  to  have  a  mutual  exchange  of  visits  between 
a  select  deputation  of  students  during  each  session. 
The  influence  of  Washington  on  his  race  throughout 
the  nation,  and  especially  throughout  the  South  in 
which  nine-tenths  of  his  people  are,  had  become  po 
tential.  He  kept  in  vital  touch  with  every  enterprise 
begun  and  fostered  by  his  race,  from  end  to  end  of 
the  country.  Under  his  direction  local  schools  had 
sprung  up  in  districts  where  they  were  most  needed 


284    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

by  reason  of  the  density  of  Negro  population,  indus 
tries  of  varied  sorts  were  established,  large  districts  of 
land  were  purchased  on  easy  terms,  banks  were 
founded,  state  and  local  fairs  were  held,  agricultural 
and  commercial  clubs  were  organized,  newspapers  and 
magazines  were  published,  and  his  people  were  moving 
with  no  uncertain  strides  toward  the  fulfillment  of  his 
original  conception. 

One  of  the  happiest  conceptions  was  that  of  the 
publication  at  Tuskegee  at  the  beginning  of  each  year, 
of  a  handsome  volume  known  as  the  Negro  Year 
Book,  an  annual  encyclopedia  of  Negro  progress.  It 
is  ably  edited  by  Professor  Monroe  N.  Work,  and 
is  a  compendium  of  most  valuable  information  relat 
ing  to  every  phase  of  the  history  of  the  race  and  of 
its  achievements.  This  annual  encyclopedia  is  destined 
to  become  one  of  the  most  valuable  means  of  reference 
concerning  the  history  and  work  of  the  Negro. 

Be  it  said  to  the  credit  of  Dr.  Washington,  that 
he  was  nowhere  so  popular  as  at  Tuskegee  where  he 
was  best  known,  and  where  he  had  resided  an  honor 
able  citizen  for  more  than  thirty  years.  The  neat 
homes  of  his  people  line  the  highways  of  the  county, 
and  their  well-tilled  farms  are  everywhere  seen. 
Though  in  the  Black  Belt  in  which  is  massed  an  im 
mense  population  of  Negroes,  there  has  not  been  com 
mitted  in  the  county  a  crime  of  any  degree  of  serious 
ness  since  his  residence  at  Tuskegee.  In  the  early 
nineties,  he  organized  at  Tuskegee  a  conference  of  his 
people  which  annually  meets  in  increasing  numbers,  till 
the  attendance  has  come  to  exceed  a  thousand  of  repre- 


LAST  YEARS  285 

sentative  men  and  women  of  the  race.  These  bring 
important  reports  from  every  part  of  the  broad  field 
of  the  South,  relative  to  every  phase  of  Negro  life — 
the  progress,  the  industries,  the  successes,  the  failures, 
the  advantages  and  difficulties,  the  prospects  and  the 
peculiar  drawbacks — all  are  gone  over,  suggestions  are 
made,  experiences  are  compared,  and  general  good 
results. 

At  another  season  comes  another  assemblage,  the 
Tuskegee  Negro  Farmers'  Conference,  to  which  are 
brought  tangible  evidences  of  the  products  of  field, 
garden,  and  stock  farm,  all  of  which  are  displayed  in 
friendly  rivalry  and  with  astonishing  results.  On  these 
occasions  addresses  are  numerous  from  orators  of 
both  races,  and  both  become  beneficiaries  of  the  great 
displays  made  and,  in  consequence,  of  the  speeches. 
The  orderly  arrangement  of  products  and  of  stock, 
and  the  entertainment  afforded  the  visitors  are  won 
derful,  and  exhibit  the  master  mind  that  conceived  and 
executed.  The  contribution  thus  made  to  race  comity 
of  sentiment  and  good-will  is  incalculable. 

Tuskegee  long  ago  became  the  Mecca  of  the  colored 
race,  especially  of  the  South,  and  Booker  T.  Washing 
ton  throughout  his  life  was  the  transcendent  leader. 
By  their  loyalty  to  him  he  was  enabled  to  open,  year 
by  year,  fresh  avenues  of  advancement,  and  by  a  re 
action  most  natural,  he  was  enabled  to  render  increas 
ing  service  to  his  people.  Each  recurring  year  called 
forth  a  fresh  stock  of  energy  and  of  force  from  him 
as  he  continued  to  blaze  the  way  through  the  thicket 
of  difficulty,  to  be  eagerly  followed  by  his  people. 


286    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

Never  with  the  slightest  truculence  of  spirit,  but 
often  in  sadness,  would  he  crave  the  responsiveness 
needed  on  the  part  of  the  white  race.  Much  encour 
agement  he  received,  and  in  many  instances,  the  ut 
most  that  could  be  accorded,  but  with  clearness  of 
vision  he  saw  that  with  a  spirit  of  general  responsive 
ness  on  the  part  of  the  dominant  race,  the  situation 
could  be  cleared  of  its  difficulties.  While  a  marvel 
ous  change  had  come  to  the  South,  and  while  multi 
tudes  had  come  to  see  the  advantage  derived  by  society 
in  general,  yet  there  was  a  large  segment  of  the  white 
race  who  in  the  indulgence  of  aversion  withheld  the 
encouragement  which  he  so  seriously  implored. 
While  there  was  much  to  encourage,  there  was  much 
that  discouraged.  His  power  and  force  were  con 
stantly  thrown  in  the  direction  of  the  encouragement 
of  his  people,  the  progress  of  whom  produced  favor 
to  society  in  general,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
power  and  influence  of  many  of  the  dominant  race 
were  employed  in  taking  advantage  of  a  weaker  peo 
ple.  One  of  his  temperament  and  cast  of  thought 
could  see  how  very  easy  it  would  be  to  exercise  greater 
kindness,  and  he  could  not  understand  how  the  ele 
ment  of  white  unfriendliness  could  be  content  to  en 
gage  force  rather  than  suasion  and  patience,  simply 
because  force  could  be  exercised.  He  chafed  yet  the 
more  because  there  were  no  means  by  which  he  could 
give  expression  to  his  sentiments,  as  he  knew  that  he 
would  be  misunderstood  did  he  go  beyond  a  certain 
limit  of  suggestiveness,  protest,  and  appeal.  -Ttere"' 
\yas  nothing  left  but  to  endure.  He  had  in- 


LAST  YEARS  287 

dulged  the  hope  that  as  the  race  should  gradually 
emerge  from  its  condition  of  lowliness  there  would  be 
corresponding    responsiveness    of    appreciation,    and 
while  this  was  not  wanting  on  the  part  of  multitudes 
of  white  friends,  it  was  not  commensurate  the  one 
with  the  other.     He  observed  that  while  there  wefe^ 
numerous  white   friends   whose   sympathy  was   with  \ 
him  in  his  efforts,  yet  they  abstained  from  expression   j 
of  this  out  of  regard  for  the  unpopularity  which  it  / 
might  incur,  and  therefore  the  sympathy  entertained 
did  not  extend  beyond  a  silent  shake  of  the  head  or  a 
shrug  of  the  shoulders. 

If  from  the  side  of  the  whites  the  situation  was  con 
sidered  and  discussed  as  a  race  problem,  from  his 
point  of  view  there  were  difficulties  in  the  opposite 
direction.  How  it  was  possible,  for  instance,  for 
officers  of  the  law,  in  the  exercise  of  their  official 
functions,  officers  from  the  lowest  local  functionary 
to  the  highest  in  the  state,  acting  under  the  sanctions 
of  solemn  oaths  to  administer  the  laws  equally,  to 
pass  over  with  icy  indifference  so  many  outrages  of 
violence  against  his  weak  and  defenseless  people,  was 
to  him  often  amazing.  He  invariably  counseled  peac 
and  patience  on  the  part  of  his  race,  the  results  o 
which  were  social  benefits,  yet  the  abuses  continued 
To  his  practical  and  philosophical  mind  schooled  in  the 
furnace  of  adversity,  he  could  see  how  it  would  cost 
the  unfriendly  and  violent  element  of  the  white  race 
nothing  to  accord  consideration,  but  when,  instead  of 
this,  there  were  violence  and  hostility,  optimistic  as 


288    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

he  naturally  was,  he  could  not  see  how  this  phase  of 
the  situation  could  be  changed. 

Over  barrier  after  barrier  the  Negro  race  had  come 
with  little  to  stimulate  and  much  to  discourage,  yet  this 
wanton  lawlessness  of  arbitrary  force  continued,  while 
the  high  sources  of  authority  betook  themselves  to 
silence  and  apparent  indifference.  He  voiced  again  and 
again  to  his  people  the  absolute  necessity  of  being 
law-abiding,  honorable,  prompt,  upright,  and  always 
.  respectful.  Yet  violent  and  chaotic  destruction  of 
order  by  members  of  the  white  race  would  often  pass 
or  naught  by  officials,  while  the  slips  and  trips  of  his 
people  were  exaggerated.  Not  only  was  this  true, 
but  not  infrequently  bands  of  irresponsible  men  under 
the  cover  of  darkness  wreaked  vengeance  on  the  inno 
cent  merely  on  suspicion,  and  without  taking  care  to 
investigate  the  basis  of  their  suspicion.  In  this  way 
innocent  victims  were  made  to  expiate  crimes,  the 
discovery  of  their  innocence  being  sometimes  made 
after  they  had  been  killed. 

The  examples  of  atrocities  like  these  bewildered 
him.  Yet  he  must  remain  silent.  Meanwhile,  with 
now  and  then  an  exception,  those  in  authority,  either 
through  sympathy  of  sentiment,  or  out  of  respect  for 
a  sentiment  which  they  dare  not  disregard,  would 
raise  not  a  finger  and  lisp  not  a  syllable  in  arrest  of  a 
wanton  procedure  like  this.  What  could  be  done  to 
stay  these  bloody,  nightly  forays  ?  He  asked  not  that 
the  criminal  Negro  be  spared  the  full  application  of 
the  law,  but  if  society  was  to  be  domineered  by  these 
nocturnal  visitants,  terrorizing  with  pistol,  rope,  and 


LAST  YEARS  289 

fagot,  whose  life  was  safe?  Under  conditions  like 
these  where  were  the  safeguards  of  society?  What 
bulwarks  of  protection  could,  under  these  conditions, 
fence  about  civilization?  How  could  a  man  of  peace 
and  progress  encourage  his  people  amidst  circum 
stances  which  meant  only  demoralization  without 
ceasing?  The  fact  that  the  black  man  was  left  with 
out  appeal  under  these  conditions,  gave  to  him  the  bM 
terness  of  sadness.  The  utmost  left  him  was  to  pub 
lish  in  the  leading  journals  of  the  South,  each  year, 
the  list  of  lynchings  that  had  taken  place,  and  the 
causes  assigned,  with  the  dim  hope  that  the  conscience  I 
of  the  public  would  at  some  time  be  smitten,  and  an  / 
arrest  be  made  to  the  grewsome  butchery. 

For  the  kind  protection  accorded  him,  he  was  most 
grateful.  He  had  gone,  never  armed,  often  into  the 
far  interior.  He  was  well  known  as  the  leader  of  the 
race,  and  not  the  slightest  affront  at  the  South  had 
ever  been  his.  But  men  and  women  of  his  race  as  in 
nocent  as  he,  had  been  many  times  seized  under  cover 
of  darkness  and  beaten  or  killed  for  causes  of  which 
they  knew  nothing.  These  things  he  could  not  under 
stand,  and  they  wrung  his  soul  in  silent  agony.  He 
would  turn  his  thoughts  from  a  ghastly  spectacle  like 
this  and  not  alone  himself  seek  to  keep  directly  in  the 
path  of  right,  but  would  continue  to  admonish  his 
people  thus  to  do,  cherishing  the  hope  that  a  new  con 
science  would  one  day  come,  and  with  it  a  cessation  of 
these  tangled  troubles.  But  here  again  his  hopes  were 
flashed,  as  the  infection  spread  northward  along  the 


290  LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

if 

ti 


color  line,  north  of  the  Ohio  and  beyond  the  Potomac, 
and  even  into  the  new  West. 

In  the  summer  of  1910,  the  trustees  of  the  Tuskegee 
Institute,  noting  the  inroad  made  on  Dr.  Washington's 
health  by  his  incessant  labor,  granted  him  a  leave  of 
absence  for  needed  rest,  and  he  went  again  to  Europe. 
He  traveled  over  much  of  the  continent,  on  a  trip  of 
practical  observation,  with  the  special  purpose  of 
studying  the  conditions  of  the  under  classes  in  the 
different  nations  from  the  point  of  view  of  an  Amer 
ican  Negro.  He  went  leisurely  and  observantly,  study 
ing  the  conditions  of  the  toiling  masses  in  each  Euro 
pean  state  visited,  the  nature  of  the  labor  of  each 
class,  their  homes,  food,  compensation,  sanitary  con 
ditions,  and  the  general  opportunities  afforded  in  life. 
As  a  result  of  this  extensive  tour  he  embodied  his 
observations  in  a  lucid  volume  of  great  sociological 
merit,  with  the  conclusion  that,  hard  as  the  lot  of  the 
American  Negro  often  is,  it  is  vastly  superior  to  that 
of  the  laboring  masses  of  Europe. 

At  that  time  Dr.  Washington  was  in  the  full  ma 
turity  of  his  powers.  His  observations  among  the 
laboring  classes  of  America,  and  especially  among  the 
people  of  his  own  race  were  excelled  by  those  of  none, 
and  no  one  was  better  able  to  pronounce  judgment 
than  he.  Incidents  of  every  phase  of  the  life  of  the 
people  who  toil  in  Europe  are  presented  in  the  volume, 
"  The  Man  Farthest  Down,"  in  a  most  graphic  way, 
and  his  work  proved  to  be  one  of  the  most  valuable 
contributions  to  sociological  literature.  In  addition 
to  this,  it  became  a  valuable  sidelight  to  the  European 


LAST  YEARS  291 

struggle.,  which  broke  forth  so  suddenly  in  August, 
1914. 

His  mission  being  accomplished,  both  with  respect 
to  recuperation  and  to  the  object  of  his  tour,  Dr. 
Washington  returned  to  his  work  at  Tuskegee.  The 
increasing  claims  on  his  time  and  vitality  as  the  school 
continued  to  expand,  began  after  some  months  again 
to  tell  on  his  health.  He  was  duly  warned  by  his 
friends,  but  with  his  usual  lightness  of  spirit,  he  did 
not  share  in  the  expressed  apprehension,  and  labored  as 
never  before.  Demands  on  his  time  continued,  and 
it  became  evident  that  he  was  yielding  to  the  incessant 
strain  of  labor  and  of  years.  All  efforts  made  to  per 
suade  him  to  relax  were  unavailing,  and  while  he  had 
most  competent  and  efficient  co-laborers  like  Pro 
fessor  Emmet  Scott,  and  Treasurer  Logan,  besides  a 
host  of  others,  and  while,  in  large  measure,  the  general 
management  of  the  institution  had  passed  into  their 
hands,  he  was  not  content  unless  he  was  in  vital  touch 
with  every  possible  interest.  His  presence  was  as 
much  demanded  in  New  York  as  at  Tuskegee,  because 
of  the  extensive  interests  of  the  school,  and,  like  a 
pendulum,  he  swung  between  the  two  points. 

He  was  not  an  old  man  and,  under  ordinary  con 
ditions,  should  have  been  in  his  prime.  He  was  ap 
proaching  his  fifty-ninth  birthday,  and  to  appearances 
he  seemed  to  be  vigorous,  but  his  strength  was  fast 
ebbing  out.  To  him  the  struggle  became  one  of  seek 
ing  to  persuade  himself  that  he  was  in  as  full  pos 
session  of  manly  vigor  as  ever,  but  his  vitality  was 
rapidly  oozing  away. 


292    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

^  As  the  last  summer  of  his  life  came  on,  he  was 
obliged  to  have  more  frequent  recourse  to  cessations 
of  labor,  but  he  no  sooner  experienced  a  change  for 
the  better  than  he  again  plunged  into  work  as  he  had 
done  during  all  his  straining  life.  He  had  become  so 
indispensable  to  his  people  that  they  came  to  consider 
him  a  kind  of  oracle,  and  to  have  him  present  on  an 
occasion  was  an  inspiration.  Demands  on  his  time 
and  energy  continued  to  the  last  and,  with  a  loyalty 
rarely  equaled,  he  would  respond  to  the  extent  of 
his  ability.  In  the  exuberance  of  his  enthusiasm  in  the 
constant  strides  now  made  by  his  people,  he  forgot 
himself,  and  continued  to  tax  his  strength  to  the  ut 
most  tension.  It  was  impossible  for  him  to  comply 
with  all  the  demands  made  on  him,  but  he  prosecuted 
his  labors  where  he  felt  that  the  most  could  be  accom 
plished.  This  he  did  to  the  end,  and  when  he  fell  it 
was  with  the  harness  still  on.  His  profound  interest 
eclipsed  all  things  respecting  himself  and  his  physical 
condition,  and  he  could  not  be  persuaded  to  believe 
that  the  end  was  near.  His  plans  were  still  projected 
far  into  the  future  when  he  was  smitten  down,  and 
from  sheer  exhaustion  could  go  no  farther.  He  was 
a  race  patriot  to  the  core,  and  died  a  martyr  to  the  in- 

-ests  of  the  colored  people  of  America. 

In  September,  1915,  Dr.  Washington  delivered  an 
address  before  the  colored  National  Baptist  Conven 
tion,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  in  the  Armory  at 
Chicago,  and  later  spent  a  week  on  the  shores  of 
Mobile  Bay,  the  guest  of  Mr.  Clarence  W.  Allen. 
With  the  spirit  of  a  boy  he  enjoyed  fishing  in  the  warm 


LAST  YEARS  293 

waters  and  inlets  of  the  bay,  and  at  the  end  of  the  week 
expressed  himself  as  feeling  unusually  well;  but 
doubtless  this  expression  was  more  due  to  the  desire 
for  a  return  to  perfect  health  than  to  a  fancied  real 
ization.  The  spirit  was  stronger  than  the  flesh. 

October  23,  he  left  Tuskegee  to  attend  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  American  Missionary  Association  at 
New  Haven,  in  connection  with  the  National  Con 
ference  of  the  Congregational  churches.  On  the  even 
ing  of  October  25,  he  delivered  his  last  address  before 
the  combined  assemblage  in  Woolsey  Hall,  Yale  Uni 
versity.  Thence  he  went  to  New  York. 

The  renewal  of  activity  after  his  brief  respite  on 
Mobile  Bay  served  to  develop  afresh  a  nervous  trouble 
to  which  he  had  become  a  victim,  and  so  seriously  was 
it  telling  on  him,  that  on  reaching  New  York,  Messrs. 
Seth  Low,  William  G.  Willcox,  and  Frank  Trumbull, 
all  of  whom  are  distinguished  members  of  the  board 
of  trustees  of  the  Tuskegee  Institute,  prevailed  on 
him  to  go  to  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  in  that  city,  for 
thorough  examination  and  treatment.  The  services 
of  an  eminent  specialist,  Dr.  W.  A.  Bastedo,  were 
promptly  procured  and  after  a  thorough  examination 
he  announced  that  Dr.  Washington  was  "  completely 
worn  out,  and  in  addition  was  suffering  from  nervous 
exhaustion  and  from  arteriosclerosis." 

It  was  evident  that  the  end  was  near,  and  Mrs. 
Washington  was  promptly  summoned  by  wire.  When 
the  sufferer  learned  that  he  soon  must  die,  he  asked 
to  be  taken  back  to  his  native  South,  that  he  might  die 
at  the  scene  of  his  long  labor  and  of  his  triumph. 


294    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

Every  comfort  was  provided  for  the  long  trip  South, 
and,  a  totally  helpless  man,  Booker  T.  Washington 
was  taken  to  Tuskegee  to  die. 

Throughout  the  trip  he  was  unconscious  till  he 
reached  Chehaw,  the  station  a  few  miles  from  Tus 
kegee,  where  the  local  short  line  deflects  from  the 
main  road.  Then  came  a  slightly  lucid  interval,  when 
he  was  told  that  he  was  soon  to  reach  Tuskegee.  Only 
once  again  did  he  revive,  and  that  was  to  learn  that 
he  was  at  last  in  his  own  home.  He  reached  there 
after  night  on  Saturday,  and  was  destined  never  again 
to  open  his  eyes  on  the  light  of  this  world,  for  a  few 
minutes  before  five  o'clock  on  Sunday  morning,  No 
vember  14,  1915,  his  spirit  fled. 

^/H^  had  rounded  out  his  life  as  he  wished.  His  race 
had  been  relieved  of  many  of  the  dire  encumbrances 
from  which  it  was  suffering  twenty-three  years  before, 
when  as  a  young  man  he  had  set  himself  to  the  task  of 

XTace  redemption.     He  had  not  only  succeeded  in  sub 
duing  much  racial  rancor,  but  he  had  built  an  institu- 

\  tion  the  fame  of  which  had  gone  over  the  world. 
As  a  fountain  this  school  had  sent  out  innumerable 
rills  of  force  and  of  fruitfulness,  all  of  which  he  was 
now  able  to  bequeath  to  his  still  struggling  people, 
but  struggling  now  with  vast  advantage  gained,  rather 
v,.J&3n  without  hope  and  encouragement. 

A  m^n  v:ith  a  record  F,O.  monumental  could  afford 
thus  silently  to  die.  It  was  befitting  that  it  was  so. 
For  more  than  three  decades  his  voice  had  been  heard 
from  ocean  to  ocean,  his  active  and  prolific  brain  had 
never  ceased  its  exercise,  his  magnetic  influence  for 


LAST  YEARS  295 

peace  and  good-will  had  been  most  potent,  and  his 
tongue,  hands,  and  pen  had  never  known  idleness. 
When  Booker  Taliaferro  Washington  died — the  one 
for  many — America  lost  one  of  its  greatest  spirits. 
He  sank 

" as  sinks  the  morning  star, 

Which  goes  not  down  behind  the  darkened  west, 
Nor  hides  obscured  amid  the  tempests  of  the  sky, 
But  melts  away  in  the  light  of  heaven." 

When  the  news  of  the  death  of  Booker  T.  Wash 
ington  was  flashed  over  the  country,  expressions  of 
regret  and  of  sympathy  came  from  every  quarter  of 
the  country  and  from  every  class,  and  notably  from 
the  white  newspapers  of  the  South. 

But  the  touching  scenes  witnessed  as  the  great 
Negro  lay  in  state  for  several  days,  were  in  connec 
tion  with  his  own  people.  The  following  incident  is 
typical  of  many  others,  and  expresses  the  tribute 
most  dear  to  his  own  heart : 

"  Most  pathetic  of  all  was  the  sight  of  the  humble  and 
unlettered  colored  people  of  the  cotton  fields  who  literally 
packed  the  school  grounds.  They  had  sustained  a  loss 
which  they  did'not  know  how  to  voice.  You  could  see 
them  looking  into  every  face  near  them  for  encourage 
ment  to  say  how  much  they  were  hurt  and  how  they 
would  miss  their  devoted  friend. 

"  Unless  the  visitors  had  been  with  Dr.  Washington 
through  a  quarter  of  a  century  and  observed  how  much 
he  loved  these  simple  poor  of  his  race,  how  anxiously  he 
worked  to  help  them,  they  could  not  understand  how 
broken-hearted  these  older  colored  people  were.  In  the 
past,  when  they  have  come  to  Tuskegee,  Dr.  Washington 
has  treated  them  as  if  they  were  princes.  They  were 


296    LIFE  OF  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

thinking  of  this  when  they  gazed  for  the  last  time  upon 
his  silent  form. 

"  One  old  couple,  themselves  near  the  sunset  of  life, 
walked  a  long,  long  distance  to  be  here.  Piteously  the 
man  approached  one  of  the  instructors  and  with  trembling 
lips  and  eyes  that  overflowed  asked :  '  Do  you  reckon 
they  will  let  us  see  Booker  ? '  and  he  hurried  to  explain : 
'  We  have  come  so  fur  jes'  to  see  him  de  las'  time.  Do 
you  reckon  they  will  mind  us  looking  at  him  ? '  They 
were  especially  escorted  to  the  casket  and  given  their 
heart's  desire ;  for  Dr.  Washington's  love  for  them  when 
he  was  here  cannot  be  described." 


INDEX 


ABOLITIONISM,  a  revival  of,  32 

Adams,  Lewis,  a  valuable  ex- 
slave,  112 

Age  -  Herald  (Birmingham, 
Ala.)  alluded  to,  229 

Alabama,  disquietude  in,  109; 
legislature  of,  appropriates 
$2,000  to  Negro  education, 
no;  "grandfather  clause" 
in  its  constitution,  144 

Alfieri  quoted,  278 

American  Baptist  Missionary 
Society  aids  the  Negro,  256 

American  Missionary  Associa 
tion  aids  the  Negro,  256; 
meeting  at  New  Haven  the 
occasion  of  Washington's 
last  address,  293 

Antwerp  visited,  273 

Armstrong,  Gen.  Samuel  C., 
his  venture  at  Hampton,  60 ; 
discovers  Washington's 
qualities,  62 ;  accompanies 
him  North,  181 

Atlanta  Exposition,  87 ;  effects 
of  Washington's  address  on 
occasion  of,  214 

Attucks,  Crispus,  alluded  to, 
228 

BASTEDO,  Dr.  W.  A.,  Washing 
ton's  last  physician,  293 

Bedford,  Rev.  R.  C,  218 

Bell,  Alexander  Graham,  al 
luded  to,  218 

Boyd,  Dr.  R.  H.,  25 ;  capitalist, 
244 

Brickmaking  at  Tuskegee,  158 

Bryce,  Hon.  James,  alluded  to, 
277 

Bruce,  Senator  B.  K.,  25;   in 


the  senate,  96;   qualities  of 

statesmanship,  244 
Buchanan,     James,     President, 

alluded  to,  30 
Bullock,  Gov.  of  Georgia,  202 

CAMPBELL,  G.  W.,  an  early 
friend  of  the  Negro,  in 

Campbell,  W.  W.,  a  Southern 
friend  to  the  Negro,  261 

Capitalists  become  interested  in 
Tuskegee,  241 

Carey,  William,  alluded  to,  85 

Carnegie,  Andrew,  alluded  to, 
258;  his  letter  to  Washing 
ton,  259 

Charlotte,  N.  C.,  honors  Wash 
ington,  253 

Chautauqua,  218 

Chesnutt,  Charles  W.,  the 
Negro  novelist,  244 

Chicago,  Washington's  notable 
speech  at,  228 

Choate,  Joseph,  Ambassador, 
greets  Washington  in  Lon 
don,  277 

Civil  War,  its  immediate  re 
sults,  33 

Cleveland's  (President)  letter 
to  Washington,  209 

Cromwell,  Oliver,  alluded  to, 
236 

Curry,  Dr.  J.  L.  M.,  alluded 
to,  224;  general  agent  of  the 
Slater  Fund,  200 

DAVIDSON,  Miss  Olivia  A., 
Washington's  valuable  as 
sistant,  126;  her  character 
illustrated,  127;  her  zeal,  156 

Demoralization,  Southern,   154 


297 


298 


INDEX 


Development,   principle  of,   2.2. 
Discrimination,  unjust,  143,  245 
Disfranchisement,  238 
Dober,  Moravian  missionary  to 

the  West  India  slaves,  85 
Douglas,  Frederick,  alluded  to, 

Du  Bois,  Prof.  W.  E.  B., 
quoted,  176;  Negro  scholar, 
244 

Dunbar,  Paul  Laurence,  Negro 
poet,  244 

EL  CANEY,  battle  of,  228 

Eliot,  President  of  Harvard, 
writes  to  Washington,  218 

England,  Washington's  im 
pression  of,  278 

Europe,  Washington's  first  trip 
to,  270;  second,  290 

FARMERS'  Conference  at  Tus- 
kegee,  285 

Fortune,  T.  T.,  Negro  editor, 
244 

France,  attention  shown  Wash 
ington  in,  274 

GALLOWAY,  Bishop,  relation  to 
the  Negro,  233 

Garrison's  (F.  J.)  special  inter 
est  in  Washington,  271 

Gilman's  (President  D.  C.)  in 
vitation  to  Washington,  210 

Gilreath,  Belton,  a  friend  to 
the  Negro,  261 

Grooves,  J.  G.,  the  "  potato 
king,"  244 

HAITI,  alluded  to,  19 

Hampton  Institute,  its  spirit, 
63 

Harrison's  (ex-President)  at 
tention  to  Washington,  274 

Harvard  University  confers 
degree  on  Washington,  219 

Haygood,  Bishop  A.  G.,  de 
fends  the  Negro,  233 


Holland,  visited,  273 

Houston,  Texas,  speech  at,  234 

Howell's  (Hon.  Clark)  com 
ment  on  Washington's  At 
lanta  speech,  206 

Hudson,  Port,  battle  of,  al 
luded  to,  228 


IMMIGRATION,  foreign,  dis 
cussed  in  the  South,  152 

Industry,  Washington's  idea 
of,  265 

Ireland,  Archbishop,  meets 
Washington  in  Paris,  274 

JACKSON,  Gen.,  alluded  to,  228 

Jasper,  Rev.  John,  noted  col 
ored  preacher,  25 

Jefferson's  (Thomas)  forecast 
of  emancipation,  17 

Jews  of  England,  a  parallel, 
236 

KENTUCKY,     Staite     University 

of,  begun,  45 
Ku    Klux    Klan,    83 ;    serious 

barrier  to  Washington,  97 

LAMAR'S  (Hon.  L.  Q.  C.)  es 
timate  of  Senator  Bruce,  96 

Leadership,    indispensable,    15 

Lee,  Gen.  Robert  E.,  alluded 
to,  208 

Lessing,  quoted,  88 

Lewis,  Hon.  W.  H.,  Negro 
jurist,  244 

Liberia,  alluded  to,  19 

List  of  Washington's  books, 
282 

Lodge,  Hon.  Cabot,  alluded  to, 
219 

London  visited  by  Washington, 
276 

Long,  Hon.  J.  D.,  alluded  to, 
220 

Lord,  Nathalie,  her  service  to 
Washington,  71 


INDEX 


299 


Low,  Hon.  Seth,  chairman  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees,  Tus 
kegee,  260;  kindness  to 
Washington  in  his  last  ill 
ness,  293 

Luxembourg   Palace,  visit   to, 

275 
Lynching,  145 

MACKIE'S  (Miss)  aid  to  Wash 
ington,  74 

McKinley,  President,  invited 
to  Tuskegee,  223;  his  ad 
dress  at  Tuskegee,  225 

Maiden,  W.  Va.,  40;  Negro 
school  at,  42;  Washington's 
return  to,  72 

Marshall's  (Gen.)  kindness  to 
Washington,  130 

Mason,  Dr.  M.  C.  B.,  noted 
orator,  244 

Miles,  Gen.  Nelson  A.,  alluded 
to,  218 

Miller,  Prof.  Kelley,  a  noted 
scholar,  244 

Mobile  Bay,  292 

Moravians,  the  first  mission 
aries  to  the  Negro,  84 

Morris,  Dr.  E.  C.,  noted  Negro 
leader,  244 

NATIONAL  Baptist  Convention, 
address  to,  292 

Negro,  original  condition  of, 
15;  in  Cuba,  19;  prosperity 
of,  19;  condition  after  free 
dom,  20;  outlook,  21 ;  sud 
den  transition,  23;  disposi 
tion  of,  24;  first  venture  on 
citizenship,  36 ;  misconcep 
tion  of  freedom,  38;  de 
moralizing  influences,  39 ; 
first  schools  of,  44;  incorrect 
idea  of,  68;  motherly  devo 
tion  of,  73 ;  original  estimate 
of  an  educated,  77 ;  handi 
caps,  79 ;  creating  the  idea  of 
a  home,  86 ;  devotion  of,  87 ; 
disadvantages  of,  87 ;  "  prob 


lem,"  91 ;  rough  experiences 
of,  92 ;  as  Washington  found 
his  condition  in  Alabama, 
116;  early  struggles  of,  at 
Tuskegee,  1 18 ;  remarkable 

»  loyalty  of,  133;  his  sphere 
as  viewed  by  Washington, 
266 

Negro  Business  League  organ 
ized,  251 ;  in  different  states, 
251 

Nitzschmann,  Moravian  mis 
sionary  to  the  Negro,  85 

OBERLIN  College,  227 
Odell,   Gov.   Benjamin   B.,  al 
luded  to,  280 

PETTIFORD,  Dr.  W.  R.,  25;  a 
capitalist,  244 

Pillow  Fort,  228 

Polytechnic  Institute,  of  Ala 
bama,  kind  relations  with 
Tuskegee,  283 

Porter,   A.   H.,    150 

Porter,  Gen.  Horace,  Ambas 
sador  to  France,  274 

Porter's  (J.  A.)  letter  to 
Washington,  226 

Press  comments  on  Washing 
ton's  degree  from  Harvard, 
221 

Property  acquired  by  Negroes, 
252 

READING,  Lord,  of  England, 
236 

Reconstruction,  35 

Religion  and  the  Negro,  45 

Rockefeller,  John  D.,  Sr.,  al 
luded  to,  258 

Roosevelt,  President,  false  re 
port  concerning,  168;  mem 
ber  of  the  Tuskegee  Board, 
200 

Rosenwald,  Julius,  alluded  to, 
258 

Rotterdam,  274 


300 


INDEX 


Ruffner,  Gen.,  51  ;  exactness  of 

Mrs.,  52 

SAN  DOMINGO,  19 
Santiago,  battle  of,  228 
Savage,  Dr.  M.  J.,  218 
Scott,  Prof.  Emmet,  Washing 

ton's   colaborer,   291 
Scott,  Dred,  case,  30 
Shafter,  Gen.,  225 
Slater    (John    F.)    Fund    aids 

Tuskegee,  260 
Slavery    a   school    of   civiliza 

tion,  18 

Smith,  Postmaster-General,  226 
South,  The,  after  the  war,  34; 

unfavorable    publications    to 

the'  Negro  in  the,  82 
Spanish-  American  War,  228 
Stanley,     Sir     Henry,     greets 

Washington  in  London,  271 
Stephens,    Alexander,    quoted, 


TAFT,  President  W.  H.,  260 
Taney,   Chief  Justice,  30 
Tanner,    Bishop,    race    leader, 

244 
Tanner,    H.    O.,    the    famous 

painter,    244;    his    work    in 

Paris,  275 
Terrell,  Judge  Robert  H.,  col 

ored  jurist,  244 
"The    Man    Farthest    Down," 

290 
Trotter,    J.    M.,    noted    editor 

and  leader,  244 
Trumbull's    (Frank)   kindness, 

293 

Turner,  Bishop  H.  M.,  244 
Tuskegee,  original,  106;  Insti 
tute  begins  under  improved 
conditions,  135  ;  handicaps, 
136;  progress  of,  157;  crude 
conditions,  163  ;  sufferings, 
170;  attains  prominence,  186; 
President  McKinley's  visit 
to,  225  ;  an  unbiased  opinion 
of,  249 


Twain,  Mark,  alluded  to,  7; 
meets  Washington  in  Lon 
don,  277 

VICTORIA,  Queen,  invites  Wash 
ington  to  tea,  277 
Vincent,  Bishop  J.  H.,  218 

WALKER,  Dr.  C.  T.,  25 
Washington,  Booker  T.,  his 
prominence,  7 ;  popularity,  9 ; 
position  in  American  history, 
ii ;  compared  with  others, 
28;  birth,  29;  his  mother, 
30;  first  ambition,  35;  first 
venture  into  the  world,  40; 
first  steps  in  knowledge,  41  ;- 
struggles  to  gain  an  educa 
tion,  46;  anecdoteT  47;  as 
sumes  a  name,  48;  hears  "of 
Hampton,  49;  kindness  of 
his  brother,  50;  goes  to 
Hampton,  53;  rough  experi 
ences,  54;"  character  shown, 
55;  attracts  attention,  59; 
engages  as  waiter,  "68;  his 
estimate  of  Hampton,  •  71  ; 
rapid  development,  75 ;  dis 
tinguished  graduation.  76 ; 
seeks  employment  ih  the 
East,  79 ;  opens  a  .school  at 
Maiden,  80;  controlled  by 
Hampton  ideal,  81 ;  progress 
at  Maiden,  89;  encounters 
sore  trials,  94 ;  goes  to  Way- 
land  Seminary,  95;  impres 
sions  gained  of  Washington 
City,  96;  called  to  canvass 
West  Virginia,  97;  honored, 
99;  called  to  Hampton,  100; 

placed   in irhargg   nf   TndJa*^;- 

101 ;  callecTto  Tuskegee,  113; 
disappointment,  114;  his 
vision,  128;  buys  land,  130; 
his  example,  131 ;  policy  of, 
139;  unjust  estimate  of,  146; 
goes  North,  161 ;  character 
established,  166;  at  the 
White  House,  168 ;  treatment 


INDEX  301 

accorded  him,  172  ;  sanity  of,  271;     death,     294;     pathetic 

173;   a  boon  to  both   races,  scene,  295 

175;  impression  made  on  the  Wheeler,  Gen.  Joseph,  alluded 

North,  182;  speech  before  a  to,  225 

congressional  c  o  m  m  i  1  1  e  e,  Willcox's     (William     G.) 

192  ;  Atlanta  speech,  193  ;  his  marked  kindness,  293 

literary  works,  246;  miscon-  Work,    Prof.    M.    N.,   and   his 

ceptions  of,  262;  his  wives,  compendium,  284 


ft 


PRINTED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA 


RETURN  TO  the  circulation  desk  of  any 
University  of  California  Library 
or  to  the 

NORTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 
Bldg.  400,  Richmond  Field  Station 
University  of  California 
Richmond,  CA  94804-4698 

LL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 
•month  loans  may  be  renewed  by  calling 

(415)  642-6753 
•year  loans  may  be  recharged  by  bringing  books 

to  NRLF 
enewals  and  recharges  may  be  made  4  days 

prior  to  due  date 

DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 


81990 


YC  27990 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  UBRARY 


